


Of Mice and Demons

by wwings



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fantasy, Ghosts, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 20:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 43,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7984669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wwings/pseuds/wwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yugi's always been afraid of the dark. His mom always tells him there's no such thing as monsters, and there is nothing to fear. But if monsters aren't real, why is there a ghost perched at the foot of his bed?</p><p>crossposted from tumblr</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings! This has been crossposted from my tumblr account! After careful consideration, I adjusted Yugi's age. The original posted on my tumblr states he is a few years younger, but considering the direction this is taking (a little to my dismay), I am making Yugi a little older. 
> 
> Warning: in future chapters there may be some slightly graphic scenes. I will try to label them appropriately!

Lightning crackled outside, the soft patter of rain hit the skylight in young Yugi’s room. Ordinarily the light of the moon would light his loft bedroom, but tonight just brought darkness. Every flash of light brought different shadows and ghouls that danced in the storm. A small squeak passed the young boy’s lips as he curled up in his blankets. He thought if he shut his eyes tight enough the monsters that plagued him would leave. Tonight, however the shadows only grew closer. Weight shifted on his bed and Yugi screamed, pulling his protective cloak of covers tighter around him.

Moments later a knock came to his door, hinges sighing as the door opened, “Yugi?” A woman’s voice, Yugi recognized as his mother’s.

“Y-y-yes,” he stammered, uncovering his face just enough to see the outline of her head in the door frame and light from the hallway seeping in and making the shadows retreat.

“Are you alright? The storm is pretty bad,” she took a half step in, “do you want to some sleep in my room?”

Red filtered into young Yugi’s cheeks, not that his mother could see it, “Mom, I’m already fifteen, I can handle the dark on my own!” His voice came out with a squeak, but he wanted to muster his courage.

After a pause, his mother retreated from the room, wishing him a restful sleep and plunging him back into the darkness. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the shadows engulfed him once again. Yugi felt the weight shift on his bed again and he curled in on himself even more. “Please…” he thought.

“Yugi,” a voice calls out to him in the darkness, it’s light and airy and it sends chills down Yugi’s spine and makes him curl tighter into his cocoon. The ghost of a hand touches his leg through the sheets and the young boy flushes, paler than the moon and stars.

The only response the boy can muster is a peep. He reminds himself to breathe, ghosts aren’t real, monsters aren’t real; it’s just his imagination.

“Breathe child,” the voice calls to him again, velvety and calming. Yugi thinks it’s the storm outside his room causing him to hear sounds in the wind.

Yugi finally exhales.

“Good,” the hand removes itself from the boy’s leg, but the added weight on his bed is still there. It shifts, as if curling up at the foot of his bed. With another deep breath Yugi musters enough foolish courage to peek from his cocoon of safety at the focal point for this added weight. He shifts and pushes the sheets just barely out of the way of his left eye. Darkness meets him, and there’s nothing until the room fills with light as another vein of lightning crosses over the sky. There, at the corner of his bed during this moment of light is a shadow. It’s vaguely human shaped and just the right type of creepy to make Yugi close his little window and take a deep breath. “It isn’t real, it isn’t real, it isn’t real,” he whimpers quietly, praying for the departure of this beast.

“You can lie to yourself all you like little one, but I assure you, I am real,” the voice grew more solid, more defined. It was definitely male.

“Who are you?” the boy squeaked.

The monster fell silent, as if contemplating how to answer. Finally, the velvet voice replied, “Atem.”

“Um, mister Atem,” Yugi squeaked, “What…” The boy couldn’t find the courage to finish his question, and the monster on his bed scooted closer. Something began to tug at his covers; Yugi held onto them for dear life.

“Come now child,” the voice whispered, silky smooth like chocolate, “I can’t hear you behind that… show me your face little one.” The monster’s magic worked and Yugi found himself loosening his grip on his covers as they were pulled away by this mysterious shadow.  At long last the only thing left covering the young boy’s face was a mere sheet, and with a deep breath Yugi cast it aside. He had to face the darkness now, but what he found was not what he expected. A ghostly touch moved his hair, and Yugi imagined it gently scratched his scalp. “Much better,” the voice sighed. “Now, you had a question?”

Yugi gulped, his confidence gone. With a steady and calming breath again, he spat the words out too quickly, “whatareyouanyway?”

Laughter filled the air and Yugi’s bed squeaked from the shift of weight as the shadow moved in what could only be perceived as a fit of laughter. “I, my boy, am a spirit, a ghost of sorts,” another chuckle. Then the voice’s tone changed, becoming grave and serious, “here to torture your soul of course.” A sickening laughter filled the air and Yugi reached for his sheets again, pulling them up to cover his eyes. The shadow however, still had its ghostly fingers in his hair.

“What have I done?” he whimpered.

The voice returned to silk and velvet, continuing to run through the young boys black tresses. “You have called to me young child. I have heard your need for a guardian and have come to guide you.” He spoke so softly and calmly that Yugi had a hard time disbelieving him. “And I must say,” the spirit chided, “you are definitely in need of some help! Cowering under your sheets because of a storm?”

Yugi blushed, a bright red visible even in this darkness and his little fists clenched in his bedding, “I see things,” he defended, “and apparently I attract spirits!”

Another soft chuckle filled the air.

“Yes, I suppose that is true my Yugi,” the spirit pulled it’s hand from Yugi’s soft locks and removed itself from the bed. Yugi couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the lost weight next to him, but now that he didn’t know where this spirit was, he began to quiver again. “However,” the voice filled the air, coming from all around and Yugi’s eyes danced around, looking for this shadow. Suddenly, the ghost of what felt like lips were against his ear, “sleep in peace, my prince. I’ll be with you from now on.”

Before Yugi had a chance to ask what that meant, he felt himself pulled to sleep by the sweet ghost of those lips as a kiss touched his forehead. Yugi slept well that night.

Soft lilac eyes fluttered open, examining the room around him now that the sun had come out from hiding. All of his monsters and shadows were gone. With a deep breath Yugi assessed whether or not there was extra weight on his bed, but there was nothing. He was alone again. _Alone_.

The young boy got ready for school, wondering if he had dreamed the whole thing. Spirits aren’t real, Yugi knew that, but why did it feel so real? Shaking his head from such thoughts, the boy grabbed his backpack and walked to school. Today proved to be no different than any other. Within minutes of arriving at school, Yugi had already been kicked, punched, had his lunch money stolen and crammed into his little locker. The boy sighed, wishing to himself that it didn’t have to be this way.

“Thanks for the free lunch Yug’,” a boy named Jou called, a sinister laugh on his lips as he walked off with his friends. Yugi wasn’t exactly fond of that blond haired menace, but as schoolmates, and worse yet – classmates, what choice did he have? The young boy kicked and kicked at his locker until someone heard. The locker cracked open, and Yugi waited to see who let him out, but there was no one there.

“Hello?” the boy crawled out and looked around but the halls had long since emptied. He shook his head and ran off for class as fast as he could, forgetting all about his open locker door.

Once Yugi was far enough down the hall, the door swung shut on its own.

“So nice of you to grace us with your presence Mr. Mutou,” the teacher glared as Yugi cracked the door open slowly. “Showing up 15 minutes late to class is inexcusable. Go to the principal’s office at once.”

A rosy red filled the young boy’s cheek as he opened his mouth in protest, but before he could reply the teacher had raised his hand, pointing out of the classroom and continued on with his lecture. Yugi spared a glance at his classmate Jou who seemed to be beside himself with joy.  Heaving a sigh, the boy closed the door and trudged to the principal’s office.

“Mr. Mutou,” the assistant smiled, “how are you today young man?”

Yugi’s eyes fell to the ground, watching his toes bump together as he spoke quietly, “I’ve been sent to the principal for being tardy.”

“Oh heavens,” the assistant’s smile faded and she shook her head disapprovingly, “you can’t be skipping classes young man!”

“I- I wasn’t,” he sighed, finding his toes oh so interesting. “I was locked in my locker… again.”

All of the school’s administrators knew Yugi was constantly getting picked on and bullied, but had yet to be able to take action that actually stopped the bullying.  The assistant nodded and encouraged Yugi to join martial arts to strengthen his body, but he just laughed awkwardly. “I’d be no good at it anyway,” he reasoned and took a seat in the waiting room.

Once it was all said and done Yugi missed the full class and trudged onward to his next; another that he shared with Jou. Yugi took his seat towards the front of the classroom and couldn’t stop his head from dropping when he saw Jou enter the room. Yugi thought that perhaps, if he didn’t make eye contact with his classmate that all would be well.

Moments later a book slammed on his desk.

Yugi was  wrong,.  

“’ey Yug’,” Jou shot him a beautiful smile. “We missed you in first class. Where’d you run off to? “ Yugi watched as his peer leaned back and folded his arms with confidence, “Did’ya run home to cry to yer mom?”

Yugi felt his heart start to rush, and his eyes started to well. Every time that Yugi got mad, he cried; silently, he cursed his body’s reaction to this emotion as his fists clenched at his sides. This didn’t go unnoticed by the blonde before him, “oh look, wittle Yug’s ready to cry because I spoke of ‘is mom!”

“I am not,” his words were shaken as they came out, and Yugi knew he looked pitiful, but he was still angry.

With a full hearted laugh Jou looked around the room to make sure everyone heard Yugi’s quivering voice, and in doing so took a half step back. In that half step, Jou lost his footing and fell over a desk behind him. “’ey what was that for Yug’? Trippin’ a man when he ain’t lookin?”

Yugi couldn’t stop the snicker that passed his lips, but he shook his head and raised his hands, “I had nothing to do with it, promise!”

Jou stood back up with the help of his henchmen and placed a single hand on Yugi’s desk as he leaned in, “did’ya think you could make me look like a fool and not pay for it?” Jou watched, measuring Yugi’s reaction before pushing himself off the desk and moving back to his own desk.

Yugi exhaled. How long had he been holding it?  The boy shook it off and pulled his notebook out and flipped to the right subject. At the top of his next page a small scribble was in the margins: _I hope you got a good laugh –A_. Yugi’s eyes scanned the message over and over again, trying to process it. _Atem._ Yugi’s eyes shot up from his notebook and his eyes scanned the classroom looking for this shadow but there was nothing there. As his eyes fell back on his notebook he saw another message being written _: I told you I would be with you from now on. Did you doubt me?_ Yugi blinked, unsure of what to think, or to do, so he scribbled a short reply: _I thought I dreamed it…_

His teacher had started his lecture, but Yugi didn’t care, he was too busy watching this ghost write it’s reply: _For shame, I should have left you in your locker this morning._ As Yugi’s brain comprehended what that meant he didn’t realize his mouth was suddenly hung open, gaping at his notebook.

“Something you’d like to share with the class Mr. Mutou?” the teacher called, snapping him back to reality.

“N-no, sir, I was just very interested in today’s lecture,” Yugi chided. He was really into history so the teacher didn’t think twice about it.

“Well try to keep the fly trap closed, will you?” the teacher waved him on before returning to his lecture.

_Stop getting in trouble, and pay attention._ His margins read.

With a soft roll of his eyes Yugi erased it and actually tried to focus on his class.

_Until later then – A._

With a soft sigh, Yugi read the note over and over again. This was real.

 


	2. Two

With every day that passed, Yugi became more and more aware of the small actions of his personal ghost. A small part of the young boy was sure that this ghost existed only to torture his soul. Every Day that Jou picked on Yugi, he seemed to have some stroke of bad luck. Jou walked into doors, tripped over nothing, fell up stairs and even managed to fall into his own locker. Each time Jou was convinced that young Yugi was to blame, but could never find proof. Although, none of these small things made Jou as mad as what happened today: he lost his belt mid-stride and ended up showing off his briefs to everyone at school. Although Yugi was not behind this feat, he did merit an extra couple punches to his gut. “I know it was you,” Jou was seething.

“N-no,” Yugi clutched his stomach, not only did it hurt but something felt wrong. There was a heat boiling inside him.

“Yugi,” that voice called to him. _Atem_. But this time, there was worry, and fear. That velvet voice sounded winded and taught when it spoke again, “Yugi let me fix it. I will teach him.”

“No,” Yugi called again.

“Don’t lie Yug’, I know you’re doing this, and when I find out how,” Jou grabbed Yugi by the front of his shirt and pushed him to the wall. “I’ll make you pay for this Yug’…” the bully  yanked Yugi around like a rag doll before throwing him back to the ground.

A small shriek passed Yugi’s lips as his head hit the ground, his eyes closing. The last thing he recalled before losing consciousness was how cold he felt.

A cold wind brushed Jou’s face, causing his temper to settle a bit. “What the-“

“STOP IT,” a young girl ran up and stepped herself between Jou and little Yugi.

“Damn it Anzu,” Jou growled. “Get out of the way, I’m not done with him yet!”

Instead Anzu raised her arms to further block Jou’s advance. “You’ve done enough,” she was firm and the room was still growing colder each second.

“Whatever,” he growled and turned his back, “you’re not worth my time.” Raising a hand, he took his leave so Anzu could finally check her friend.

Once Jou was gone, Anzu noticed the room grew warmer. “Yugi,” she shook him gently, making his head roll off to one side. “Oh no,” she whispered, eying a small red smear on the ground. Immediately her fingers went to work searching in his locks to see how bad it was. Once she finally found it she took a small sigh of relief, it was only a scratch.

When Yugi’s eyes cracked open he was at the school nurse. “What happened,” he mused quietly. The soft sound of his voice alerted Anzu that he’d waken.

“Yugi!” in moments the young girl was standing at his side. “You’re awake now. I’m so glad…. You’ve been out for a while.”

“A-anzu, what happened?” Yugi could feel his head spinning as he sat up. “Jou…?”

“After he threw you down, I chased him off,” she spoke softly, watching Yugi’s eyes fall to the ground. Yugi felt worthless, he couldn’t even stand up for himself and Anzu could have gotten injured if Jou hadn’t backed off.

“I’m sorry Anzu,” Yugi sighed and brought his knees to his chest. “You’re always standing up for me.”

Nervously, she chuckled, “No, it’s okay Yugi! You shouldn’t let them bully you though.”

Yugi was so happy to have someone like Anzu. They’d known each other since they were little, and even though they didn’t talk much anymore, Anzu still kept an eye on him. “I’ll be okay… how much school is left?”

Anzu shrugged, and before she could answer the bell rang. “Well, there’s not any more now,” she smiled and offered to walk the young man home. Yugi was happy to enjoy the company.

The walk home was peaceful, and for the first in a while, Yugi felt a small blip of happiness in his heart. As sweet as it was, it reminded him that it was only temporary and that he would be alone again shortly. Yugi told himself that he preferred to be alone anyway.

Yugi rubbed his forehead as he came in, a headache growing in his temples. “Is everything alright son,” his mother asked. Yugi only nodded and blamed a heavy backpack. He would never tell his mother what was going on, it was too much to burden her with. He may not have been the strongest guy at school, but he did have a strong will. “Are you off to work on your schoolwork then?” she questioned as Yugi drug his backpack upstairs by the strap.

“Yes,” Yugi sighed, “I’ve got a lot tonight so it might be late before I come down.”

His mom shot him a soft smile, “I’ll bring you some snacks in a bit. Don’t work too hard.”

Yugi smiled and thanked her before enclosing himself in his room. “A-atem,” he called out, looking around and feeling more than a little stupid for doing so. Shaking such foolish thoughts from his head Yugi sat down at his desk and pulled out his notebooks to start his work. “I’m sleep deprived… that must be it.”

“Well don’t plan on sleeping with that concussion,” a voice answered him, dancing in the air. Yugi shot around, looking for something, anything that would show him where the voice came from. He was alone. Yugi was always alone.

“Maybe I should see a psychiatrist or something,” the boy sighed. “I’m not even sixteen yet and I’ve already lost my mind.” Laughter filled the room and out of the corner of his eyes Yugi saw his bed sheets move as if displacing a body. Stuck in his chair in the middle of the room, Yugi had nowhere to run and no corner to back into. Instead he wheeled himself slowly to the opposite side of the room. His mouth opened as if to speak, but no words could find him.

“My dear Yugi, haven’t you realized by now that I’m real?” that velvety rich voice met his ears and Yugi felt himself losing focus, drawn in by its powers. “Have you not enjoyed my pranks?” the owner of the voice sobered up and Yugi watched his sheets move some more. A dent in the foot of his bed formed and he imagined the ghost had crossed its legs; if it even had them.

“Pranks?” Yugi felt himself getting upset. “Your prank today got me this concussion!” 

The dent shifted somewhat, “I know. For that I am truly sorry.” The more the voice talked, the harder it was for Yugi to stay mad. “I was going to put that Jou character in his place if that girlfriend of yours hadn’t showed up.”

Yugi couldn’t tell if the voice was upset about Anzu coming to Yugi’s rescue or that she stopped it from getting its revenge. “You could have gotten me hurt,” Yugi sighed. “And Anzu’s not my girlfriend… she barely speaks to me anymore.”

“I apologize,” the voice was silky smooth again; “I was hoping that you sort of enjoyed my pranks on Jou. I won’t do it again.”

“Thank you,” the boy sighed, allowing a short silence to pass between them. “Why can’t I see you?” Yugi asked softly, “but I can hear you?”

Yugi thought he heard a sigh, the rise and fall of another’s breath passing their lips although they remained completely unseen. “The extent of my powers at this point is only that.” Another shift and a soft squeak of the mattress met Yugi’s ear. When he turned his face to look around, he felt an icy cold burn his cheek and he flinched away before the air got thick and he felt something pressed to his face, “Unless you wish to extend to me some of your… power?” Yugi would have sworn there was a breath that passed over the skin of his neck, evident by the little goose bumps that rose in its aftermath. The young boy leaned back in his chair, trying to get away from the sensation, but it was on him, stuck to him like glue. “Won’t you help me little one? It wouldn’t require much, just a ‘yes’ will do,” Atem reasoned, but Yugi wasn’t listening. He couldn’t hear past the calming effect that luxurious voice had on him; he couldn’t think past the feeling of being ‘touched’.

“Okay,” the boy muttered. “If I do this, what happens?” Despite being spelled out of his mind, Yugi knew this came at a price.

He could almost hear the shrug in the other’s answer, “Easy enough, I breathe a little of myself into you, to replace that which I have taken. I will be able to manifest myself in front of you, and you won’t have to be scared of that which you can’t see.” He sounded reasonable enough and Yugi was so relaxed he couldn’t have said no if he wanted to.

“Please,” the boy pleaded, violet irises glazing over from the peace this ghost instilled in him. “I don’t like not being able to see you.”

The ghost bared a great grin, unbeknownst to the young Yugi before him. Leaning in, the ghost cupped the young boy’s cheeks. Those ghostly fingers brought an icy tingle to Yugi’s skin as his face was pulled forward and upward, making him sit up straight in his chair as his lips parted naturally and ever so softly. Ghostly lips met slightly chapped ones and Yugi felt an icy whirlwind mixing in his lungs, rising and rising, until they spilled out his lips and into the body of his ghost. He felt dizzy as his head tried to comprehend what was happening. The ghostly lips pulled away, and Atem licked his lips satisfyingly. The sensation around his face began to feel like real fingers, but their icy touch remained. Yugi tried to open his eyes, but found himself so drained even the slightest movement was exhausting so he left them closed.

Atem’s fingers were the only thing holding the boy upright now. Slowly, he lowered Yugi back into his chair, the poor human’s body limp and surely far too dizzy to stand. Atem brought forth another deep breath, allowing his cheeks to swell with his life force. The ghost leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Yugi’s third eye, allowing his breath to slowly pass his lips as he did so.

Yugi’s limp body tensed, relaxed, and tensed again. His brain felt clouded in white smoke that filled every open nook and cranny of his existence and absorbed its way into his body. He felt it in his nerves; he felt it in his blood as it pumped to his heart. He gasped as he felt this thick white smoke pump through every cell in his body.

“Yugi,” that velvet voice called to him and Yugi just wanted to sit there, lost in its embrace but this time something was different. It was real. It wasn’t uttered in the wind; it was whispered into his ear. Yugi could feel the breath brush his skin.

“Atem,” he whispered back before opening his eyes. Before him was the neck and shoulder of a sun-kissed man dressed in white linen. Slowly Atem drew himself back, straightening himself up and Yugi finally got a good look at his ghost. They looked strikingly similar, same soft black locks framed by gold bangs. But the ghost before had very unusual clothing.  Yugi believed it to be silk, and the man sported some gold wristbands, and there was even some gold around his neck.

“Will you believe me now that you can see me?” Atem smiled and a blinding smile it was. Yugi wasn’t sure if it was because his skin was so dark or if he was just that brilliant. Either way, the boy nodded. “Good. This means you can’t be afraid of me anymore either. I told you, I’ll be with you always.”

Yugi smiled but kept quiet.

“Now then, something will need to be done about Jou. Would you like me to end him?” There was a smile on the ghost’s face and Yugi wasn’t sure if he was being literal.

“No, I just don’t want to be picked on anymore. Jou,” Yugi paused to contemplate his next works, “Jou always says he’s trying to help me be a man. I don’t know, Atem. This is the first time he’s hurt me…”

For a split moment, Atem’s true nature showed. Flashes of black lit behind his scarlet irises and claws formed from his fingers. These were hid quickly as he took a calming breath and he decided it was definitely too early to show this self to this young boy. Instead he reached forward, and placed a gentle hand on Yugi’s bandages, “This one was my fault, but I’ve been watching Yugi. I’ve seen the scratches and the bruises you come home with. I’ve watched him beat you up and I think he does so because he knows you won’t fight back.”

Yugi’s eyes fell to the ground, watching his toes bump together like he always did when he was nervous, “but Jou is my fr-“

“Don’t you _dare_ call him a friend,” Atem spat, velvety voice becoming rough as sandpaper.

Yugi got scared, as any reasonable person would have in that moment, and tried to back further away from his ghost with no such luck. Yugi was already against the wall, so he closed his eyes tightly.

Atem had seen this before. Yugi only did this when he was scared. Instead he spoke softly, “Yugi, please believe me. One of these days that bully is going to try something, and I won’t stand by and let it happen.” Atem took a few steps back to give Yugi his space. “For now, I’ll leave you be,” Atem sighed softly, his voice sweet and soft, “until later, partner.” Atem dissolved himself into the air once again and Yugi found it reminiscent of water evaporating.

The boy sat still, trying to process what all had just happened. His heart beat with the presence of this otherworldly being, and even though the ghost was no longer in front of him to see, he could still feel him. Yugi felt his chest getting tight, many emotions pooled together at his core and whipped him around, lashed at him and for a moment he thought he might explode. “What is this feeling,” he muttered, gripping his chest tightly.

Atem hadn’t gone far, and could only watch as his own emotions tore through his little one’s body. If he could calm himself, Yugi would be better. A deep breath and a long exhale, and suddenly Yugi stopped. His grasp on his heart lessened and he caught his breath. “What… what was that?” he asked, knowing that Atem hadn’t gone far. The ghost however, chose to remain silent on the subject.


	3. Three

“Yugi?” a knock came at the door and it creaked open ever so gently. A gentle woman with short brown locks peered inside, “Yugi, I brought you some snacks.”

The young boy looked up from his desk and turned to face his mother with a smile. His golden bangs had been clipped back on top of his head so he could study without them being in the way. “Oh, come in,” he smiled and watched as she came in with a small plate in her hand.

“I didn’t know you’d be up this late studying,” her eyes stayed trained on the hair clip that held his bangs in place, “eh, Yugi? Isn’t that my hair clip?”

With a nervous chuckle, Yugi took the plate and turned back around rather quickly. “I just don’t like my hair in my eyes when I’m studying,” he muttered, trying to speak clearly. “I’ll return it,” he whispered.

The gentle woman reached a hand forward, placed it atop her son’s head and ruffled his black locks. She mused that in this light they looked almost crimson. “Its fine,” she smiled, “but I’ll get you one that’s not purple.”  A soft squeak passed Yugi’s lips and his mom couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t stay up too late,” she removed her hand from his hair and let him be, being sure to pull the door closed when she left.

Yugi glanced over at the plate he’d taken from his mom, cheese and crackers. He smiled and decided to munch on a cracker first.

“She loves you a lot,” an absentminded velvety voice broke the silence, as if Atem were just thinking aloud. Although, if he were, he wasn’t so deep in thought that he missed Yugi jumping out of his skin. “Did I scare you?” a soft chuckle passed his lips as he took a solid form on Yugi’s bed. He was propped up on his elbows, with his legs outstretched and his ankles crossed over one another; his eyes stayed glued to the door where Yugi’s mother had just left. “I told you that you can’t be afraid of me now that you can see me, little one,” another soft chuckle as he turned to look at the young boy.

However, being the nervous kid that he was, little Yugi was hyperventilating. He clutched at his chest, gasping, wheezing and clawing for air. Atem felt that tightness growing in his own chest and sprang into action, lunging off the bed. Yugi’s right hand clutched to his desk while his left alternated between clawing at his chest and his neck as if it would fix it. “Yugi,” Atem knelt before him, his hand reaching up and tugging that frantic hand out of the way before replacing it with his own calm one. “Breathe,” he ordered.

A cold wind rushed Yugi’s lungs, opening his airways and forcing air inside. It felt white and thick, just like he had last time. Yugi felt his racing heart start to return to normal. Another cold touch met his cheek, and Yugi’s vision returned. His eyes had stayed open, but it was if his brain stopped registering what he was seeing. When the world came back into focus his ghost was kneeling before him, a hand to his chest, and another to his cheek, and crimson eyes filled with an emotion that Yugi didn’t understand; was this strength? “Atem,” he breathed and felt calm. “You can let go now,” he whispered, a soft rose settling into his cheeks.

Hands released him and Atem leaned back, still eyeing his every movement, “I never would have guessed,” he spoke softly. “It’s been almost two months since that night, and I’ve never scared you that bad.”

“I,” Yugi paused, “I was really focused. You caught me off guard, that’s all.”

“Yugi,” Atem looked at him skeptically, “I’ve caught you off guard many a time.” The spirit moved back to the edge of Yugi’s bed to sit down, but his eyes never left the boy in front of him. “Is this because of yesterday?”

With a heavy sigh, Yugi’s eyes fell and he shook his head, “No, it’s nothing like that.”

A lie.

“Yugi,” that soft, silken voice was music to the boy’s ears, but Yugi also knew what was coming. “Don’t lie. I’ve already told you that I am here to protect you, what point is there in lying?” Atem was calm, peaceful, and it reminded Yugi of sunrise on the lake.

“You scared me yesterday,” Yugi admitted, “I don’t want you to hurt Jou…”

For a moment, Atem considered rolling his eyes, but he figured it was best to save that for later, “I didn’t do anything to Jou today, you know that…” there was something slightly vile in the way he said it, but Atem straightened himself out before his next words, “and I am truly sorry for frightening you little one. I did not mean to.”

Yugi sighed, mulling over his words before speaking, “You weren’t anywhere today. Not in my notebooks, not at school…” he fell silent, one of his hands reaching up to touch his chest once again. “Even so, I think I felt you. In my chest,” Yugi couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with his ghost, and instead watched as the ghosts feet swung back and forth off the side of the bed. 

An agreeing hum came from Atem before silence fell. The ghost fell back to his elbows and propped his feet back up on Yugi’s bed as he thought of what to say next. Dumbstruck by the silence Yugi resumed studying.

After several minutes of silence Atem cleared his throat softly, eyes trained on the young boy to make sure there wasn’t a repeat of earlier. Instead, this time the boy turned to look at the manifestation on his bed, “Yes?”

“I didn’t want to scare you again,” Atem admitted, “but I believe I have figured out the best way to answer your question.”

Yugi thought back, soft violet eyes clouding with memories, “but I didn’t-“

“Seemed like a question to me,” Atem spoke softly, his silken tone working away at Yugi’s resistance. He watched, waiting for the boy to rebut his statement, but was met with silence. He continued, “The other day, when you gave me the power to manifest myself like this… I also gave you some of myself. In this way, we are linked.” Slowly, the ancient spirit sat back up and kept his eyes trained on the boy in front of him, making note of even the smallest movements. “I can feel what you feel, Yugi. As I’m sure you can feel mine, although you may not be quite attuned to it yet. This would explain if you feel crowded, or if you feel like there’s a separate being inside of you.”

Poor Yugi’s mind kept trying to process what he was being told. The crowded feeling in his heart, that was because of his ghost?

“But I will try to keep my emotions to myself, I would hate to burden you with them, my Yugi,” Atem smiled softy.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Yugi admitted, “I think it will take some getting used to though, but it does feel nice to not be alone.”

Atem fell silent so Yugi spared him a glance. He was smiling, and Yugi thought momentarily about how beautiful of a smile it was. Just like the rest of him, Atem’s smile was calm and peaceful and relaxing. “You’ll not be alone anymore, little one,” he reassured.

“Please,” Yugi sighed, “could you not call me little one? I know that I’m small, but it make me feel like a kid.”

Hearty laughter passed the ghost’s lips as he fell back on the bed, “Yugi, do you know how long I’ve been wandering the line between ever-after and the living?”

Blushing, the boy shook his head.

“Thousands of years,” he spoke with a large grin, “When you get to be my age, everyone is a kid.”

Of course, Yugi realized a moment too late that that would be the case.

The spirit noticed the glint leave his boy’s eyes even if only for a moment before speaking up, “I’ll tell you what. I will think of a different nickname for you, but I want to make sure you know that once I’ve picked it, that will be your name forever.”

Yugi smiled, “deal.”

“Now then,” the spirit reached over to Yugi’s desk and pushed his homework closer, “Your mother will not be very happy if you don’t finish your homework.”

A soft chuckle and a nod later Yugi was back to working on his homework. He spared glances at his ghost every now and then, but Atem had pretty much occupied himself with playing a card game on Yugi’s bed. Finally, with a heavy sigh of relief, Yugi closed his notebooks and put them back in his backpack. The stirring made Atem look up, his eyes falling on the plate of half eaten crackers and cubes of cheese. “Yugi, you should finish that.”

“Cheese gives me nightmares,” he shook his head, “it’s best that I don’t eat it.” The boy finally wiggled out of his school clothes and worked on getting his pajamas on.

“I didn’t think I was going to have to explain this to you,” Atem chided, picking up a cube of cheese and walking over to the young boy. “You must eat to keep your strength up,” with that, he pushed the cube of cheese into the young boy’s mouth when he was about to speak. Rose filled those cheeks once again and violet orbs glittered with embarrassment. “Keep in mind, part of me resides in you now as well Yugi. You must keep your strength up for both of our sakes now. If your spirit is weak, I will be unable to manifest for you again. So please,” he turned and pointed to the plate, “finish eating.”

A soft roll of his eyes was the only answer that Yugi gave, but Atem accepted it.

The ancient spirit took his seat back on the bed, “and if you get nightmares, I will be here to protect you.”

“Will you wake me up if I have them?” Yugi raised a brow, picking at the cubes of cheese.

“I’ll do you one better,” Atem smiled, “I’ll reach into your little mind and fight your nightmares for you.”

Something churned inside Yugi and didn’t settle quite right. Surely, even if their spirits were linked, that wouldn’t give his ghost the ability to reach into his dreams, right? Yugi didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. Atem removed himself from the bed so that Yugi could lie down once he was finished with his snack.

Yugi looked so comfortable in his bed, and Atem felt something pulling at him from inside his chest. It was Yugi. Silently, Atem waited until Yugi turned off the light before sitting back at the edge of the bed. This time the spirit sat near Yugi’s back and reached his hand forward, hovering just inches above the soft black locks, before pulling his hand back. “You seem distressed. Is there something I can do for you?” The question was soft, but sincere.

Yugi pondered it momentarily, and Atem wondered if the boy was already asleep. “Just,” Yugi whispered, pausing to make sure the words came out correctly, “please don’t leave.”

A small smile graced the lips of the spirit as he disintegrated, velvety voice echoing the room, “I will be with you always.”

Yugi smiled and curled himself tighter in his sheets, and waited for sleep to take him.

For the first time in thousands of years, Atem felt something reminiscent of a thump in his chest.


	4. Four

Yugi bellowed in fear, running through the woods as fast as he could. Branches and leaves crunched under his feet. His breathing got heavier and heavier as he pushed on. A howl echoed in the trees, yellow eyes lighting up the darkness. They were everywhere, but Yugi didn’t know what they were so he kept running. He pushed onward, running as hard and as fast as he could in the darkness. The full moon lit the less dense areas, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from tripping on an exposed tree root.

The young boy fell face first into the dirt, scratching himself pretty good. It didn’t hurt, but he figured with the adrenaline running through his veins, there was no way he could feel pain at this point. In the eerie silence that settled in as he tried to get back to his feet he could hear growling. A soft, low rumble met his ears and Yugi felt his blood run cold.

A deep breath later, he had turned and continued to run, and run as fast as his feet could carry him. Yugi found himself approaching an old building, vaguely reminiscent of an old castle with badly deteriorated walls, and he kept running until he crossed the threshold.

Everything changed. The howling and growls had stopped. The yellow eyes were gone. Yugi exhaled in relief and took in his surroundings. Old bricks made up the floor, and all of the interior walls had been destroyed. Although the outside walls were also in disarray, they were at least still standing. That was enough to keep Yugi away from the wolves and the forest.

Breaking through the newly found silence, a great and deep roar echoed over the land. “Oh no,” Yugi whispered and looked up. A great beast flew overhead, casting a great shadow over the poor boy and shot its fire into the sky. For only a moment Yugi thought he was safe as the beast flew onward, but once he saw the beast turn back for him, Yugi was searching frantically for a place to hide in this broken down castle.

The beast was getting closer and closer, and the best Yugi could do before the earth shook with the landing of the beast. A soft shriek erupted from the boy’s throat as he cowered behind the remnants of a wall. When he thought the beast was looking, Yugi spared it a glance. A large black beast with scales, and large wings that blocked out the moonlight stood on all fours on the ledge of a wall. Its green eyes glowed in the darkness and bright white fangs twinkled against its black flesh.

Yugi watched as its long tail came crashing down against the wall, smashing it to bits. A soft squeak passed his lips in fear, and the beast turned to him, its green eyes found Yugi easily. “Oh no,” Yugi ducked for cover and braced himself for the worst. Another roar echoed around the building, and Yugi heard the beast pounce.

Silence.

Yugi wasn’t sure if he had died, or if time was frozen but nothing moved, and from the backs of his eyelids he saw a blinding light.

“Yugi,” a voice called to him. That velvety rich voice he’d grown accustomed to.

The young boy opened his eyes and found himself still cowering but now he was in a desert, and all of the darkness had been banished. It was warm and sunny, and there were only a handful of clouds in the sky. “What the,” he mused, continuing to look around him until his eyes fell on the being in front of him. Sun kissed skin dressed in old white linen. His ghost, Atem, stood before him, a corporeal being. “Atem…”

Atem closed the distance between them in seconds and held Yugi’s face in his hands, examining the boy for injury. “I told you that if you had a nightmare, I would come fix it, didn’t I?”

“You,” Yugi muttered, “I… how…?”

Atem smiled and pulled back, satisfied that his human was okay, “I told you, we’re connected. I can enter your mind as needed, but I would never do so unless absolutely necessary.” Atem twisted his golden cuffs around his wrists, adjusted the ones on his arms and resituated his clothing rather gently while Yugi thought this over.

“I was having a nightmare for such a long time though,” Yugi muttered, “why didn’t you come sooner?”

Atem looked around, eyes catching a palace off in the distance. He motioned for Yugi to follow him as he began to explain. “Like I said, I don’t want to interfere unless I absolutely must. The mind is a complex thing. It is possible for me to be stuck in the mind of someone forever, so the utmost precaution must be used. Also, I had a large amount of confidence that you would be able to resolve it yourself. Your body didn’t show strong signs of distress until right before I intervened. I could feel it though,” he paused. Atem’s hand reached up and rested gently against his chest, “I could feel your fear.”

Nervously, Yugi chuckled before changing the subject, “well thank you for getting me out. Although, what am I wearing?” Yugi looked down at his body, and he was dressed in clothing similar to that of Atem’s. Simple white linen was wrapped around his hips and a large piece of jewelry around his neck. He had similar cuffs to Atem’s but his were much smaller.

“Ah,” Atem chuckled, turning around to address Yugi. It was then that Yugi realized they were approaching a palace. “This,” Atem tugged at the piece around his neck, “you can call it a pectoral. They were worn primarily by the rich and the pharaoh in Egypt.” Atem watched as Yugi’s fingers traced over it before moving down. “This,” Atem pointed to the fabric that hung from Yugi’s hips, “is called a shendyt, although I believe your people would call it a kilt now.”

“It feels like a skirt,” Yugi’s cheeks filled with a beautiful rose color that accented his violet orbs, but Atem was too busy chuckling to notice.

“I suppose if that’s how you’d like to look at it,” Atem laughed before tugging at his own, “I wear one too.”

Yugi nodded and finally returned his attention to the palace in front of them, “is this place a part of your memories or do you just like to dream of Egypt?”

Smart. Yugi was smart. Atem knew that, and he liked it. “It’s a mixture of both,” he replied honestly. “Since this is a dream place I can alter anything I want, as with most dreams. But mostly I just like to remember what it is like.” Atem continued to push onward, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts and the heavier the silence grew, the more difficult it was to break it.

Yugi pondered what it was that Atem meant for quite some time, but he realized it once he saw the way his ghost would stop to smell the flowers, or the way his fingers dragged ever so gently along the walls. Atem missed being human. He missed being alive.

The palace was huge, and Yugi felt like an ant in the presence of such great walls. “Can we go inside?” the awe in his tone was too obvious.

A soft, but almost nervous smile met him and Atem shook his head, “unfortunately no.”

Defeated, Yugi looked around and noticed they were also not far from a village. “I guess we can walk around through there?”

Atem smiled and shook his head once again, “No, Yugi. You misunderstand.”

The boy looked over to his ghost, his golden bangs glistening in the sunshine, and his black locks sparkled with a crimson tint. “What do you mean?” Before his eyes, his ghost vanished, fading out of existence. “Atem?” Yugi called, worried that he would be returned to his nightmare, but instead the world started turning, twisting as if being sucked down a drain. “What’s going on?” the boy asked himself as he watched the sand rush past his feet, pulling him into the current.

“Yugi,” Atem’s voice rang throughout his mind. “It’s time to wake up.”

Yugi tried, he tried hard to wake up as he was tossed and thrown around by the current of sand that was sweeping him down some invisible drain. It wasn’t until his head was submerged in the sand that his eyes finally opened. The boy gasped, gathering his surroundings as he looked around. He was in his bed. There was no sand, no skirt, and no bright sun overhead.

The sun filtered in through the skylights in Yugi’s room and with a deep sigh he fell back on his bed; still exhausted. “I feel like I didn’t rest at all,” Yugi sighed and rolled over, refusing to get up.

“I told you, you will need to keep your strength up at all times,” Atem’s voice carried in the air and Yugi’s head perked up, looking around for his ghost.

“Atem? Where are you?” Yugi asked softly, waiting for a sign. And there it was; Atem made a soft indentation in the bed where he sat, but did not manifest himself before the boy. “Why won’t you show yourself?”

“I can’t,” Atem said plainly. “I told you that it’s very draining for me to borrow this energy from you. Nightmares didn’t help you rest either I know. If you just eat well and rest well, I should be able to show myself again in a couple of days.”

Yugi wasn’t sure how he was supposed to take that news. What would a normal person say to that? Would a normal person give part of their life force to a ghost? Possibly not.

“I’ll do my best,” Yugi settled with that. “I don’t like not being able to see you.” Although he couldn’t see it, Yugi was pretty sure that at least made his ghost smile. Atem left the boy in peace to get ready for school, and stayed silent for the rest of the day.

Yugi did not hear from his ghost again until late the following night. The boy was sitting in his room, putting together a puzzle. “Shouldn’t you be studying?” rich velvet met his ears and Yugi spun around in his chair, eyes falling on Atem’s figure. He was still weak for sure, but he was lying comfortably on Yugi’s bed with his feet outstretched and his hands tucked behind his head.

“No school tomorrow,” Yugi beamed and turned back to his puzzle, “I’m glad you seem to be back to normal though.”

Atem reached his hand over his head, examining just how transparent he still was. “I’m getting there. Thank you Yugi for allowing me this gift again.” Although Yugi didn’t reply, Atem could still feel the warmth from Yugi’s heart, the pounding in his chest, and possibly the slightest bit of nervousness as well. His hand fell to hold his chest, wishing that these feelings were more than just a ghost of a sensation. A soft sigh passed his lips as he thought about how nice it would be to have those feelings again.

Over the last few days, Yugi had been working hard to sense the feelings of his ghost, and the boy thought he felt something filling his chest. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt like he was going to explode, or cry, or perhaps both. He felt warm and happy, but a deep longing also struck through him down to his core. “Atem,” Yugi clutched his chest, gasping softly, “is something wrong?”

Slowly, the ghost looked over, feeling regret wash over him as he saw little Yugi clutching his chest. “No, no. I am so sorry,” Atem shook his head and scooted closer, unsure how he should proceed. “Did I scare you again?”

The boy shook his head, “No, I just felt your emotions,” Yugi spoke softly, considering each word before it passed his lips, “it was like a whirlwind.”

Nervously, Atem chuckled and pushed back all of the feelings he was thinking about moments ago, “I’m so sorry Yugi. I wonder why it affects you so strongly. Perhaps you’re more in tune to it than I believed.”

Yugi shook his head, “are you depressed?” Atem blinked, dumbfounded by the question.

“No,” he lied. He wanted to lighten the mood by possibly making a joke about how he was already dead, but he figured it was not the appropriate time.

“You miss being alive though, don’t you?” Yugi looked up at his ghost, his hand still holding to his chest, but his eyes showed more determination than Atem had ever seen the boy muster. Atem broke eye contact first, knowing that was going to cost him some of the boy’s trust.

“I do, sometimes, yes,” Atem finally admitted.

Yugi sighed, wishing he could bring this guardian of his some comfort. “You know, if it were possible, I would let you use my body.”

Fire flickered behind crimson eyes as Atem grabbed Yugi by the wrists, pulling him close. Icy ghost breath brushed against Yugi’s cheek; his heart skipped a beat. “Don’t say that,” Atem’s velvety voice ran cold, icier than winter. “You don’t know what could happen.”

Violet eyes flicked with fear and Yugi tried to tug his wrists back from Atem, but with no luck. The cold feeling of his fingers grew colder and colder. “Atem, please,” Yugi tugged again. “I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t,” Atem shook his head, “that’s probably why you said it. Bad things can happen if you allow a ghost to take over your body.”

“But you’re d-“

“ _No_ ,” Atem hissed, “ _I am not different_. When a spirit takes control over a human for the first time, they lose their sense of self. It takes much practice to take over a human host and still remember who you are. _I am not different Yugi.”_

Yugi tugged at his hands again, starting to feel burnt by the cold that held them in place, “I’m sorry,” he muttered, “I won’t mention it again. I just thought-“

“A kind thought,” Atem’s voice thawed slowly, as he released the boy’s hands, “but a foolish one. I could cause you serious injury Yugi, or serious injury to anyone you love if I were to take over your body. The sentiment is nice, and I do truly appreciate it. I made my peace with what I am quite some time ago.”

Yugi withdrew himself and just watched his ghost crumble before him and he didn’t know what to do. He felt a tightening in his chest; he recognized it as sadness, but it wasn’t his own. It was Atem’s. “I’m sorry,” Yugi sighed softly and turned to go back to his puzzle since he didn’t know what else he could say.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: potential trigger warning ahead. **I tried to keep it short and not too descriptive...**

Several silent days passed between the boy and his guardian, and Atem only made his presence known in the evenings. Jou continued to bully Yugi, but as requested, Atem stayed out of it. The ghost continued to let the boy out of his locker, and keep all his belongings relatively close together when his backpack would spill its contents, but remained otherwise nonexistent. Every time Jou came after him, Yugi could feel a heat rising in his chest, and it burned like acid. He recognized it as Atem’s own frustration.

The evening found Yugi propped against his bedpost, a game controller in his hands, and the television flashing the scenes as the sounds of clashes and bangs echoed in his small room. Yugi heard rustling on his bed and figured his ghost had decided to materialize again this evening, despite remaining silent. They hadn’t spoken since Yugi had offered his own body as a host. The tension between them was so thick it suffocated the young boy, but he didn’t know what else to do.

“Oh crap,” Yugi sighed softly, moving the keys of his controller frantically. A monster was attacking his character, but he had no way to defend himself, “where did that stupid armory go!”

A snort came from behind him. Yugi felt the bed shift and soon icy fingers ran through his soft locks. Atem had never felt so real, but then again Yugi had plenty of rest and didn’t hold back his appetite.  “Hey, it’s just like you,” a soft chortle passed the ghosts throat and Yugi felt his blood rising.

“What?” the boy paused his game and raised his head to look up at the ghost on his bed. Atem was propped up on his elbows, hands softly playing with the boy’s hair as his eyes stayed trained on the television despite the game being paused.

“Your character looks just like you,” the ghost smiled. “Short, cute, funny hair… funny clothes.”

Yugi looked back to the television. His character was a small mage dressed in crimson robes with odd green hair and a staff that was twice his height. “Oh,” Yugi took a calming breath and whispered, “I thought you meant something else.”

“I know you did,” Atem moved one of his hands to his chest, “I feel everything you do, remember?”

A blush rose in Yugi’s cheeks, how had he forgotten? Now he felt stupid.

“Why,” he started, but paused, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to the question he wanted to ask.

“Speak child.”

“Why are you talking to me now? The first time since then,” Yugi sighed.

A grunt was his only answer.

Yugi waited, hoping that his ghost would say something with more substance but after a long awkward pause, he resumed his game. When he did so, Atem resumed playing with his hair.

“I’m sorry, partner,” Atem sighed.

Yugi froze.

The game continued. Yugi’s mage was attacked by the monsters in his game. The television flashed with the words GAME OVER.

“What’s wrong?” Atem’s fingers froze. “Do you dislike it?”

Yugi was still frozen.

Atem waited. He waited for Yugi’s brain to catch up to his ears. He waited for the boy to move, or react, anything.

Yugi took a breath.

Atem opened his mouth to speak, but instead watched as his charge turned around and looked up at him. “P-p-partner?” Yugi stuttered. That word could have so many meanings.

A soft smile met his worried gaze and ghostly fingers ran through his hair again, tugging at his blond bangs. “Yes,” the Egyptian smiled, “I figured if we’re going to be spending all this time together, what are we if not partners?”

That made complete sense. But why then, did Yugi feel as if his heart would beat out his chest? “Is there something else you’d like me to call you?” Yugi smiled. He was still not entirely sure if Atem was a spirit, a ghost, or a ghoul.

The man shrugged, turning Yugi around and leaning him back against the bed. When had he felt so real? Fingers played with his hair some more, “call me as you wish.”

Yugi smiled and leaned into the head scratch, “I’ll think of something then.” His ghost hummed in accord, and Yugi restarted his game and forgot all about what had happened the week prior. The young boy immersed himself in his game for so many hours that Atem had stopped scratching his hair and had taken to resting his head on his folded arms.

“Partner,” a sleepy, velvet voice met Yugi’s ears. Wait, could a ghost be sleepy?

Yugi sat up straighter, his eyes bloodshot from staring at the screen and his fingers starting to cramp. “Yes?”

“It’s time for bed. I can feel your exhaustion,” the ghost sighed, “even if you can’t yet. Plus, you have to get up early to get your new game, remember?”

“That’s right!” Yugi shrieked, throwing his controller as his fists pumped in the air in excitement. “It’s the newest fighting game! It’s supposed to be really fun!”

Atem smiled, “perhaps you can teach this ghost to play once you’ve mastered it.”

“Of course I will,” Yugi was so enthusiastic. However, he conceded that it was well past his bed time if he was going to get a copy of that game. Surely people were already lined up outside for it.

Clicking off the television, Yugi stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. His foot may have accidentally kicked his ghost.

“Hey, hey,” Atem groaned, “just because I’m a ghost, doesn’t mean you can kick me around!”

A soft chuckle, “want me to kiss it and make it better?”

“Yes, yes I do,” Atem smiled playfully and climbed up to where Yugi was sitting.

“Where did I kick you?” Yugi played along.

With his lower lip jutted out in a pout, the Egyptian pointed to his left ribs. The boy leaned forward and pushed a kiss as best he could to his ghost. His lips tingled with ice and made him withdrawal with an odd look on his face. “Did you expect to actually touch me?”

“I think so,” Yugi chuckled, “You look so real; hardly transparent at all today.”

A nod. “Now then, to bed,” Atem smiled and watched his human go to bed.

When Yugi woke up, it was to the sight of sun filtering in through his skylights. It was bright out. Sleep clouded his brain as he stretched, yawned, and thought about his plans for the day. Oh no, his plans. His game! With a gasp the boy jumped from bed and pulled on the first clothes he could find. Yugi glanced himself over in the mirror, white pants, black shirt, sure that would work. His hair was still a mess, but he didn’t care. He bolted out of the door and ran to the game store.

Yugi came to a screeching halt just outside the sliding glass doors. With a deep breath to compose himself, he straightened his shirt and went inside. He made his way to the counter where a young girl stood with an apron sporting the store logo. “Hello, I’m looking for the new fighter game that came out today,” he smiled, hopeful.

“Wow mister,” she smiled, “you sure are lucky!” Lucky? Yugi wondered what she meant while he grabbed the game.  The scanner beeped and the register showed his total. The door rang with the entry of another customer. “This is the last copy,” she smiled and placed it in a bag for him.

Yugi’s heart fluttered and he clasped it tightly in his hands, “Thank you!” he smiled and walked out, pulling the game from the bag and reading over the contents again.

“Good job partner,” Atem’s voice rang through his head.

“Thanks,” he whispered, grinning ear to ear.

“Hey!” a deep voice called from behind him, but Yugi was so absorbed that he didn’t notice. “Hey kid! Stop!”

Yugi heard that time and paused. He turned back to look at the man, seeing him sprinting his way.

“RUN!” Atem’s voice echoed through Yugi’s head, but before his body could process the command he was already on the ground.

“You can’t have the last game, that one’s mine,” the man reached down and picked it up from the ground.

Yugi grabbed at the bag and pulled it back rather roughly, but the man was stronger, “I paid for it. It’s mine.”

“Yugi-“ Atem’s velvety voice was laced with worry. Fear struck through Yugi’s chest. This man was bad, but Yugi had waited so long.

The man pulled it away, ripping the bag in the process, and took off down the alley.

“No,” Yugi groaned and got up. His back hurt from hitting the concrete, but he would be fine. He followed the man down the alley.

“No, Yugi,” Atem’s words rang through Yugi, and he felt his heart beat with fear. “Please turn back.”

“No,” Yugi insisted, “I must.”

He rounded a corner and ran into a small group of people.

“Oh, well what do we have here?” A woman spoke. Though her voice was deep, her violet corset accented her bosom, and stopped just short of her bellybutton. Leather pants hung from her waist, but Yugi’s eyes were focused on her hair. One side of her head was shaved, and the hair on the other side was a dark crimson. When she grinned he saw her teeth were black and rotten, a few even missing. “It looks like we got a little pet,” she grinned and nudged the man to her left.

“It does indeed, I bet he be fun to play wih,” the man was in similar shape as the woman. His blue jeans were old and ripped, his chest was covered with a faded black hoodie that had one too many holes. He pushed his greasy brown locks from his face as he turned to the other man in the group, “Hey, innit this tha guy you took tha game from?”

When Yugi’s eyes reached the third and final person in the group, he did recognize him as the man who took his game. A black leather jacket covered his small frame, and his pants were in much better shape. “What do you know,” he grinned, several of his teeth were also black. “this kid don’t know how to give up.”

“Please, give me back my game,” Yugi tried to sound strong, but his voice cracked and squeaked instead.

“Yugi – please,” Atem’s voice found him once again. “Please run away.”

A brow raised and the man in the leather jacket stepped forward, “and what’re ya gonna do if I don’t?”

“Please, give me back my game,” he repeated.

“I think this’n’s stupid,” the brunette chuckled.

“I think he looks like fun. Why don’t you earn your game back, kid?” the girl with crimson hair walked around behind him, “he’s got a pretty cute tush.” Her hand reached out and gave Yugi’s butt a firm squeeze.

He jumped, “Ex-excuse you! You can’t do that!”

She grinned, “Who’s going to stop me?” she groped him again before looking up to the others, “can’t we play with him? It’s been a while since we’ve had fun.”

Yugi tried to take a step back with the others advanced, but found himself backing into the girl behind him. He gasped. She reached around him, raising his shirt and dragging her fingers up his chest. Her fingers were slick and greasy. Yugi felt acid burning in his throat. He was going to throw up. Her fingers pinched one of his nipples and his body froze in shock and fear. The men stood watching; making sure he wouldn’t go anywhere while she played with him. They watched as her other hand pressed down his belly, fingers undoing his pants.

“Yugi-“ Atem’s voice called to him, but Yugi couldn’t reply. “I’m sorry, partner.”

Yugi blacked out.

Fingers continued to touch his body. The girl grinned when his button came undone, and plunged her hand into his pants. Her hands cupped him and she let out a hearty laugh, “this little kid has a hard on! You like it don’t you, you little slut?” She called into his year.

“Let. Go.” It was an order. His voice was different, but they didn’t notice.

“Oh no, you’re going to give us a show, and then once we’re satisfied we’ll think about giving you your game back,” the man in the leather jacket smirked, waving the game in front of Yugi’s face.

Fists clenched, eyes closed, and Yugi’s body started trembling.

“Oh look,” she laughed, “he must be close already!”

Her fingers pinched his nipple again and an electric shock shot through her body. It travelled up her hands, through her brain, and to her heart causing it to beat so fast it stopped. Her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground, silent.

“Hey, what the fuck did ya do, runt?” the brunette moved in for the assault. Yugi’s hand reached up and grabbed the man’s arm. With the flick of a wrist his arm was broken. He fell to the ground, crying and screaming in pain.

Yugi straightened his pants, rezipped them and buttoned them. He looked up to the man who started this. “You,” a rich velvet tone passed those soft, chapped lips. “You started this.”

The man backed away, tossing the game at Yugi’s feet, “Hey, we were just having a little fun. No need to go crazy.”

“Crazy?” Even though those words passed from the small boy’s lips, they sounded so different. “I can show you crazy.”

Fists clenched at his sides, and the shadows of the alley began to move with a life of their own. The man backed up and backed up until he hit a wall. Yugi advanced, closing the distance between them just enough so the man couldn’t run away. Shadows rose and flanked Yugi’s sides. The man cowered as his eyes swelled in fear. “What- what are you?”

“Your worst nightmare,” Yugi grinned. It was sadistic and cruel, and unlike any smile Yugi would actually produce. “Say goodbye,” he continued. He raised his hand, index finger pointing at the man before him. The shadows pounced, lunged and came from all around the boy before closing around and consuming their target. The man screamed.

Yugi turned, grabbed his game from the ground and continued home. Darkness surrounded him like a veil, and only once he returned home did it dissolve.

“Yugi!” his mom smiled, “welcome home!”

A smile, a bow, “I’m home.”

“Did you go out like that?” his mom pointed. His hair was ruffled, his shirt was dirty. He felt greasy and dirty.

“Sorry,” the velvet voice was back, but sweet and calm before his host’s mother. “I’ll shower right away,” he bowed and left the room. Once in the boy’s room, he stood before the mirror, “Oh Ra,” Atem’s voice came from Yugi’s lips, his hand reaching out and touching the mirror. “My partner will kill me. What have I done?”

He grabbed clean clothes and ran a shower. He definitely didn’t want his partner to come back feeling the remnants of what was done to him. “Forgive me partner,” he sighed as he pulled off the boy’s clothes and crawled into the shower. For the first time in centuries, Atem felt warm water against his skin, a heart in his chest, air on his face, and it felt magical. He wondered how Yugi’s mom had managed to pull him out of the trance of his first possession. Either way he was thankful, but he thought about what he’d done as well. “My partner will certainly kill me.”

Once he had cleaned the body of his host, and enjoyed his moment of being human, Atem redressed his host and went back to the bedroom. “He’s sure to be exhausted. I’m so sorry Yugi,” he sighed and lied down on the bed. He closed his eyes and removed himself from his host. The split ripped at him, it felt like being ripped in two. Why hadn’t he felt that when he took over the young boy? Or had he simply been so overwhelmed in trying to protect his partner that he didn’t notice? What was Yugi going to say when he woke up?


	6. SIx

Yugi jumped up, sitting up in his bed and looking around. His breath came in short gasps as he looked around. He still felt those hands on him, felt their looks, felt fear, but this time the acid burning his throat was gone. What happened?

“Partner,” Atem was sitting in the chair next to his desk, barely visible. “You’re awake. I was beginning to worry.”

The sun was still bright outside, and Yugi turned his head curiously to his ghost. “What happened? The last thing I remember,” he shuddered, breath hitching. Yugi forced himself to take a deep inhale, pause, and release it slowly. Now was not a good time for another panic attack, “I remember this greasy lady…”

“That’s correct,” his ghost cut him off, not wishing to hear those words pass his charge’s lips. Atem moved to the corner of the bed, his indent much shallower than usual, but he moved to wrap his ghostly arms around Yugi, icy air brushed the boy’s skin and he shuddered with cold. “I’m sorry. I did that which I promised I wouldn’t.”

Yugi froze. “You-“

“Yes,” Atem sighed. His icy fingers played with the boys clean hair. He wanted to enjoy the moments he could before he would disappear.

“But you said,” Yugi paused, recalling. “You said that when a ghost possesses a human, they lose themselves. Does that mean you-“

“Yes,” Atem’s velvety words were short, but calm and patient. “I will not say they didn’t deserve what happened to them, but I am most sorry for violating your trust.” The ghosts words rolled down Yugi’s spine like a drop of sweat on a hot day. He shivered.

“But, you got me home… that doesn’t mean,” Yugi gasped and looked up at the fading image of his ghost, “my mom? My grandpa?”

Atem gave a soft smile and shook his head, “They are both fine. As far as they know, you’re up here playing your brand new game.”

Yugi pulled his legs to his chest and rested his chin atop his kneecaps. How was he supposed to feel about this? He had no memory of what happened, and from the way his ghost kept apologizing, something very bad must have happened. Atem could feel the pain and confusion inside him growing as the boy seemed to zone out. “Atem,” Yugi said finally.

“Yes?” his words stayed soft, yet firm.

“Why did you,” Yugi paused, trying to think of the best way to word it, “take over my body?”

“You were in danger,” Atem stated calmly, fingers still dancing in those soft black locks, even though he couldn’t truly feel them. “And when you went into shock… I couldn’t let them harm you. I had to protect you, even if you hate me.”

Yugi felt his heart skip a beat. What was that supposed to mean?

“I also,” Atem cleared his throat, “cleaned you up. I didn’t want you to wake up… feeling that.”

It was only then that Yugi realized that the greasy feeling from when he woke up was gone. He was squeaky clean, and his locks had tried flat and a little knotted. “You,” he gasped, “You touched me?!”

His ghost laughed heartily, “of all the things to be mad about.” The ghost pulled his fingers from the boy’s hair and leaned to the side to get a better look at his balled up human, “I gave you a bath. I didn’t do anything inappropriate!” Atem was wondering when the boy was going to realize just what he had done, and when his anger would show. For now though, Atem was happy knowing that his boy was safe.

“Atem,” Yugi looked up at the ghost, noticing that he looked slightly more transparent than he had moments ago. “Thank you.”

A devilish grin graced his ghost’s figure and his hand came to rest atop Yugi’s head. “Until next time,” his velvet words danced in the air around Yugi’s head as the cold dissipated from atop his head and his ghost disappeared.

“Where have you gone?” Yugi looked around.

Silence met him.

With a deep breath and a long yawn, Yugi realized he was rather exhausted. Perhaps that act was so strenuous, his ghost couldn’t manifest for him. Grateful to be alive, and home, the boy grabbed his new game and sat down to play it right away.

Yugi played for hours and hours, until his mom came to his room to remind him that he had to eat. He pressed pause and went downstairs for dinner. He joined his mother and his grandpa at the table for dinner, the news playing in the background. “Won’t you turn the tv off while we eat,” Yugi’s mom turned to his grandpa.

“But this story is really interesting,” Yugi’s grandpa still had one eye on the screen, a news banner read ‘MURDER IN DOMINO CITY?’ “There’s been a murder!”

Yugi looked at the screen to make sure his grandfather wasn’t exaggerating, “it’s true mom!” He scooted further back to watch the story. The news anchor showed mug shots that were taken during the victims recent arrests. There were two, a man and a woman. Yugi’s eyes were fixated on the woman. She had crimson hair on one side of her head, and the other looked shaved. Yugi tried to swallow the lump in his throat. The man looked a little different, but Yugi recognized him as the one who stole his game. His ghost had killed them. He had killed them.

“That’s enough,” Yugi’s mom turned off the television and Yugi watched as blackness filled the screen. His mind was still racing with the acts of his ghost. She set the table with their dinner, but Yugi’s eyes stayed fixated on the black box where he had seen those faces. “Yugi, the tv will still be there after dinner,” she pointed at his bowl, “please eat up while it’s warm.”

Yugi ate slowly. Every bite made him feel great to be alive, but also reminded him of the acts of his ghost. And his ghost was probably so weak there was no way he would even be able to see him, let alone talk to him. Yugi wasn’t sure that he wanted to. He was scared of what this ghost could do. Atem had always been so nice to him, but could someone capable of such destruction be as nice as he thought?

After dinner Yugi and his grandpa returned to the tv to try and hear the rest of the story. Fortunately they were repeating it.

“..died from electric shock, although there was no sign of lose or exposed wiring nearby that could have caused it. No taser marks were found on the body but small burn marks were found on the fingertips.” The anchor remained nonchalant, but Yugi felt a storm brewing inside him. Those fingers that had touched him, brought her death. What had his ghost done? He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the rest. “…coroners are saying he was literally scared to death. Investigators are still looking for a lead. Both victims had recently been released from prison on good behavior after trying to steal ancient Egyptian artifacts from the Domino Museum.”

“Wow Yugi,” his grandpa nudged him, “can you believe something like this has happened? I bet it’s the curse of the pharaoh!” The old man laughed and Yugi nodded in agreement.

“I,” he thought, trying to find a reason to leave the room, “I’m going to go keep playing my game.”

“Oh, is it fun?” his grandpa smiled as Yugi raised from the couch and headed towards the stairs.

“Yes!” he shot him a smile and thumbs up before running up the stairs and locking his door behind him. “Atem… what have you done?”

The ghost was there, and tried to make his words known, his presence, anything, but his efforts were fruitless. Instead he could only watch as Yugi paced around the room, tugging at his chest as another panic attack was coming on. Yugi’s back hit the wall and he slid down, fingers clawing at his chest as he broke into sobs between gasps for air. “What has happened…?”

Atem kneeled before his human, reached his hand to the boy’s chest, and with the little energy he had left he pushed air into the boy’s lungs.

Icy cold filled his chest as it expanded fully. Yugi recognized it, remembered from the last time Atem helped him with a panic attack. It calmed him, but it scared him too. “Why would you kill them? Where are you? Why- why won’t you speak to me?” His breaths were starting to slow thanks to the help of his ghost, but no other sign of his presence was there. Yugi felt tightness in his chest, and closed his eyes as his hand touched where it hurt. His heart. A new round of sobs passed the boy as his heart ached. He knew though that it wasn’t his own feelings. He clutched to the sorrow in his chest until it faded away into nothing.

The ice had left his chest, as did the sorrow, and the pain, but Yugi continued to cry. He felt empty. He had grown used to feeling part of his ghost inside him, but now it felt like a piece of him was missing and he needed it back. “Atem,” he whispered.

Yugi was alone.

Again.

Yugi was always alone. Sobs slowly faded off, and the hand clutching his chest slowly relaxed, and Yugi slipped into a deep sleep.

Yugi found himself in the desert, but this time his ghost was nowhere to be found. He was moving. Yugi looked down and realized he was riding a horse. When he looked up to take in his surroundings he found the palace from before. He remembered the way his dark skinned ghost stopped to sniff all the flowers and touch the sand and the walls. But his ghost was gone. He was alone.

His horse rode on, until they reached the gates of the palace. “I don’t think we can go in,” he sighed, but the horse continued walking towards the door. Yugi didn’t know the first thing about how to steer a horse, “it’ll turn…. It has to, we can’t-“ he stopped, watching as the horse’s head disappeared into the wall and he was only inches from the grand doors. His eyes shut instinctively, but when he didn’t feel anything, he opened them again. “Wow!” he gasped, looking around at the beautiful garden. The horse went over to the grass and began to nibble at it. Yugi looked behind him at the grand doors. “We just walked through a door.”

Taking the opportunity, Yugi dismounted and headed in to the palace. Guards and royals shuffled about, but not one noticed Yugi. They were all dark skinned and dressed in linen similar to what his ghost wore. Remembering the last time he was there, Yugi looked down to inspect his own clothing. His chest was bare, pale skin glowing in the sunlight, but he was wearing the same shendyt as last time. From his neck hung another golden pectoral, and his fingers reached up to touch it. “Am I in the same place…?” He wondered as he continued walking. He saw many people heading into one room so he followed suit.

It was a grand throne room, and the people had come to make their requests. Yugi walked along the back of the corridor, following it to get a glimpse of who they were requesting from. Surely it was their ruler. When he finally got a glimpse of the man, he felt for sure that his heart would stop. Atem. His ghost was wearing the same clothing, but his head was framed with a golden head dress with a third eye engraved in it. Yugi could recognize that face anywhere. “Atem,” he whispered shyly and suddenly all eyes turned to him.

A small gasp passed his lips. How was it no one had seen him, and he could walk through walls, but now everyone was staring at him?

The pharaoh raised his hand and pointed at the boy.

“Oh no,” he gasped and turned to run but guards had already grabbed him by the arms and lifted his short frame from the ground.

They delivered him before the pharaoh’s throne, and before the royal council. “Bow before your pharaoh,” the guard instructed and popped Yugi in the back of the knee with his staff. The boy crashed down to the ground, unsure of what was going on. Wasn’t this his dream? Either way, Yugi found it best to comply.

“How dare you speak the pharaoh’s name so casually. State your name,” a tall priest spoke, pointing his staff at the boy.

“Y-y-yugi,” he muttered. He was sure a panic attack was coming, but he didn’t feel any tightness in his chest, despite his fear. He felt dizzy and closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sounds around him as he continued to kneel on the ground. The world felt like it was going black.

“Dearest child,” a rich velvet voice danced across his ears. Yugi looked up and saw the pharaoh from moments ago kneeling in front of him with hands outstretched. The world around them had gone black and all that existed were the two of them. “This is no place for you. How did you get here?”

Yugi looked up, “A-atem,” he sat up. His heart ached. He was so mad, so scared of the powers of the ghost before him, but he didn’t want to be alone. “I have so many questions. You-you killed those people. How could you do that?”

An understanding smile met him and the pharaoh reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. He really ruffled it this time. His fingers were warm and soft as they ran through Yugi’s locks, not icy and airy. “You must rest. I fear you will not rest if you are here. I will explain to you in due time.”

The boy didn’t understand, “Why can’t you tell me now? I don’t want to be alone.”

“I know partner,” Atem sighed, “but this is no place for you. You must go to your own dreams.”

“Please,” Yugi begged, hands reaching out and wrapping around the waist of his ghost. He felt warmth radiate into him and a real body around his arms. His cheek pressed into the soft linen that the pharaoh was wearing. “I fear I will not rest if I don’t know why you killed them.”

Atem’s hand pulled the boy’s head closer as he spoke softly, “consider it divine punishment. The things they were going to do to you… I know you disapprove of my interferences with Jou, but this would have been far worse. I could not let them hurt someone I care about.”

Yugi stayed there, unmoving, letting it process. Atem didn’t push him away either.

“Will you come back?”  Yugi finally mumbled so softly that Atem barely heard it.

“You know the rule, don’t you Yugi? Rest well, and eat well, and I shall return. I fear my interference drained us both much more than I care to admit,” his velvet words were so much more powerful than Yugi remembered. A hand rubbed his back delicately. “I will come back to you once I have the energy. Until then I must stay here.”

Yugi nodded. “Can’t I stay here?”

“I’m sorry partner, but you must return to your own mind,” he sighed and slowly pulled Yugi away from him. “Until we meet again,” he leaned in and pressed his lips to Yugi’s forehead. Again, they were warm, and Yugi noticed they were slightly chapped. His eyes fell closed and he felt his body being sucked down a drain as the world spun around him. When it spat him back out he was in a meadow, surrounded by trees, but his ghost was nowhere to be found. Yugi was alone, again.


	7. Seven

Yugi woke in the middle of the night, panting heavily. As he took in his surroundings, he realized he was still on the floor. He had fallen onto his side but his hand still clutched his chest. With a yawn, Yugi raised himself up and crawled into bed without bothering to change his clothes. He curled up tightly to his blankets and closed his eyes. He could still feel the warm body that he had wrapped his arms tightly around and the hand that pulled his head closer. Yugi let the memory of that warmth ease him back into a deep sleep. When Yugi opened his eyes again he was back in the meadow his ghost had left him in.

The grass was lush and green, with small patches of beautiful yellow and violet wildflowers growing throughout. This was like no place Yugi had ever dreamed of before, but he was so tired that he hardly cared. As long as there were no more dragons or wolves to chase him, Yugi vowed that he would at least try to enjoy this place. Yugi looked around, trying to take in his surroundings. As he spun around, it appeared that the tall grass and beautiful wildflowers were visible as far as his eyes could see. That is, until his eyes caught sight of something different. Off in the distance, Yugi saw what appeared to be a small orchard, so he decided it was worth checking it out. He sauntered over to the trees, letting his fingers dance along the tips of the high grass and enjoy the peace and serenity that filled him. His heart was calm and breathing came easy. As Yugi grew closer to the orchard, he noticed clouds moved to block out the sun. A cool breeze blew and rustled his hair; it reminded him of Atem. “It’s okay,” Yugi reminded himself, fists balling at his side, “you’re not alone. Atem will come back.”

Once face to face with the trees Yugi realized there was an assortment of apple and pear trees, all of which bore healthy, ripe fruit. “I wonder,” he mumbled, reaching up and picking a low hanging apple. A sniff. A bite. Sweet nectar spilled down the side of his cheek, but the apple was so sweet and delicious he devoured it quickly. His stomach rumbled something mean, “when did I get so hungry?” he thought, ravenous and grabbed another fruit. Right as the boy was about to take another bite he heard a crackle behind him, like a twig breaking beneath someone’s feet. Yugi turned on a dime. The apple fell from his hand and hit the ground with a soft thud. Before him was a large black shadow beast, with skin that looked reminiscent of scales. Although, instead of shimmering in the light, this beast’s black skin consumed the light around it. Almond shaped crimson eyes glared at the young boy before it. The beast towered over Yugi, and Yugi had a hard time trying to take in exactly what he was seeing. The beast’s fingers were long and slender, hands twice the size of Yugi’s own. The black fingers had thick knuckles that cracked when the beast flexed its fingers, and at the end the nails were long, straight, and pointed; they reminded Yugi of claws.

When Yugi couldn’t take it anymore; his eyes fell to the ground, and then he noticed the beast’s feet were in a similar condition as its hands. Abnormally long toes seemed even longer with the inclusion of equally long, talon shaped toenails that were filed to a point.

“W-what are you?” Yugi looked up again, this time less distracted by the glowing crimson eyes, and more interested by the fact that this beast had horns. How had he missed those before? Horns sprouted from atop the beast’s head and angled back at a sharp forty-five degrees, framed by spiked short black locks. The beast cocked its head with a small twitch and Yugi caught a glimpse of the beast’s ears. They were long and pointed and angled parallel to the horns that the beast sported; Yugi found it almost elfish, had the rest of the creature not been so intimidating.

The beast roared, fists clenched at its sides and Yugi, shocked out of his own thoughts, felt the wail resonate all the way to his heart. The beast before him was crying out in sorrow. It ached in such a way that Yugi found it familiar. “A…” his hand reached up toward the beast, shaky and scared, but before he could reach it, it faded away.

After taking a moment to collect himself, Yugi looked back down at the apple that had fallen into the grass. It was black and rotten now. Yugi looked back to the trees in the orchard. All the other apples were fine. He reached up to grab another one, but the sun blinded him. His eyes shut hard against the intrusion and his hand moved to cover his eyes. A soft groan passed the young boy as his eyes squinted open. The light was still bright and blinding, but instead of a lively green field littered with trees, Yugi found pale blue bed sheets before his eyes.

A knock came to the door, “Yugi, breakfast.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” he called and sat up. He felt rested, but still so drained. It had been an eventful night and he could still feel those red eyes burning into his core. The boy’s eyes scanned the room, looking for the slightest hint that his ghost was with him, but found it equally as empty as his heart. Was his ghost really going to come back? Did he really want it to?

“After all,” Yugi spoke softly to himself, thinking things through, “he did… that to those people. I know they were bad and they would have hurt me, but to do… something so horrid,” he paused, eyes falling down to his hands, “I’m so pathetic. My only friend is a killer ghost.” With a deep breath, Yugi raised his head, and changed his clothes, “but, isn’t it better than being alone?”

Yugi spent weeks without as much as a peep from his spirit. Fortunately, this gave Yugi plenty of time to reflect on how he felt about what had happened. As much as he was not okay with the actions of his spirit, he was grateful to be alive. Yugi also didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if his spirit hadn’t interfered. Each day that passed, Yugi felt stronger, healthier, and better rested, but no matter what, there was one thing he couldn’t shake himself of: those crimson eyes. They haunted his dreams constantly. Atem had promised to stop him from having nightmares, but if that were the case, why did he continue to see these eyes wherever he went?

Yugi’s eyes fell on the calendar as he got ready for bed one night. His birthday was only a few days away. Even though the boy didn’t have any plans – other than playing video games all day – he definitely wanted his friend to be there. “I hope Atem will be back by then,” he sighed as he pulled his bed shirt over his head. With a yawn he crawled into bed and stared up at the ceiling and blindly reached for the night stand. His room was plunged into darkness as he turned off his lamp. With a soft chuckle, he lay relaxed on his bed. It had been so long since Yugi had first met Atem, growing close on a year and in that time Yugi had grown so much. When the lights went out, Yugi used to see things move in the shadows, but now he was at peace. Even though his spirit was not nearby, Yugi knew he had nothing to fear. The shadows no longer danced along the wall, and Yugi found the blinding feeling of the dark almost soothing. He used to be so afraid of the dark, but now, he longed for it. He longed for the voice that called to him on nights like this with its velvety smoothness. He longed to once again feel the weight shift on his bed with the presence of his ghost.

A heavy sigh passed his lips as he closed his eyes, remembering the comfort that Atem provided him. “Goodnight, wherever you are.”

That night Yugi dreamed of ancient Egypt. He dreamed of the time he saw Atem sitting at the throne of that great room, but then it had felt so real. Back then, he could feel the grains of sand in his fingers, and smell the flowers in the garden. Back then, he could feel the warmth of Atem’s touch, the smoothness of his skin and the softness of his clothing. This time, it was as if he were a ghost unable to smell or touch or sense anything. Yugi didn’t find it very restful, but he was able to find peace in the sun over Egypt despite being unable to feel the warmth it would have provided. Yugi laid in the garden of the palace, arms folded behind his head and allowed himself to rest.

“Partner,” a voice, smooth as chocolate met the boy’s ears and he felt himself perk up. Yugi looked around, and found daylight filtering in through the sky lights in his room. He was awake again.

“Atem…” he sighed. “Where are you?”

A soft chuckle met his ears. “Why do you seem so sad partner?” the voice danced around the room, and Yugi felt as if air filled his lungs for the first in a long time.

“I’ve been waiting,” Yugi smiled and propped himself up on his elbows, “rather impatiently might I add.”

“Apologies,” Atem chuckled, “I told you I would return once you were rested. Unfortunately, at this time, it appears my energy only allows me this much. I am at least able to answer your questions now.”

Yugi lay back down with a soft huff. His eyes were fixated on watching particles of dust dance in the sunlight as he spoke, “I have given it a lot of thought. Although I’m still not pleased with you for taking control of my body, I have to thank you for saving my life. I understand that I may not be here today if it weren’t for you. But I wanted to ask, how you were able to do that to them? From what I understand, spirits have power all their own, but it seemed like you used some very dark magic.” Yugi’s words were getting faster and closer together as he rambled, “…and I mean of course I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t afraid of the power that you used, but I’m also very grateful. I pray that you’d never use those powers against me, but I’m not so naïve that I don’t understand the risk.”

“Yugi, breathe,” Atem smiled, barely understanding the words that Yugi had thrown out at him due to the speed at which they were delivered. “I told you from the beginning that I am here to protect you. You do speak the truth, that I used dark magic to deliver divine punishment to the people who dare hurt you, but I would never use those powers to hurt you,” the ghost paused, as if pondering what to say next, “Is this all you have thought about in my absence?”

Yugi rolled over onto his side so that he was facing the wall, hiding his face in a pillow. “I suppose so. There’s a lot I don’t understand about you. How come, now that you’re back, I still can’t feel you in my chest?”

An icy cool touch swept across Yugi’s cheek, “You will in time partner. For now, I must rest some more. I hope to see you again shortly.”

“Bye, Atem,” Yugi sighed, hand coming to touch his face where the icy wind had been only moments previous.

Hearty meals, afternoon naps, and a long night’s sleep were the things that consumed Yugi for the following days. He was so close to seeing his friend that he would do what it took to make it possible. His days still found him stuffed into his locker, but now that he had a packed lunch, Jou found less interest in taking it. He said something about how it was ‘too healthy’ for him. Either way, Yugi didn’t let the bully discourage him.

Finally, on the eve of his birthday, Yugi felt a swelling in his chest, another presence. With a soft gasp, Yugi reached up and clutched his heart as he felt it fill with the emotions of his spirit. His gaze cast downward as he sighed contently. He was no longer alone.

“Mister Mutou,” the teacher cleared their throat, “do you need to go to the infirmary?”

Yugi blushed, embarrassed but shook his head with a smile playing at his lips, “I’m alright now.”


	8. Eight

The rest of Yugi’s school day seemed to drag on. He tapped his foot in class, anxious to go home and see his spirit once again.

_‘Impatient, are we?’_ was scribbled in on the margins of Yugi’s notebook, and Yugi felt his chest swell with happiness. Although some of the emotion was his own, he knew a lot of it was his spirit’s. With a smile, Yugi grabbed his pencil.

‘ _Absolutely,’_ Yugi scrawled . He still had many a question for his ghost, but with his birthday just around the corner, Yugi decided it was better to leave the questions for later. For now, he just wanted to enjoy time with his ghost. Yugi was determined to make this birthday a good one; one he didn’t spend alone. For the sake of having a good birthday, his questions could wait.  Yugi lost track of time in his scribbled discussion with Atem, or, at least until the bell rang and everyone filed out of the classroom. Yugi glanced up at the clock; school was finally over. His notebook slammed shut and he grabbed all of his things quickly before joining his classmates in their shuffle out of the building.

Just a quick walk home and Yugi could spend tonight and the weekend with his spirit. Yugi thought about how lucky he was to have his birthday on a weekend. Now that his spirit was back, he would be able to enjoy the day with his friend. The boy had already begun to plan how many games they could play over the weekend.

“Yo,” a voice called, a voice that Yugi knew all too well. “’ey Yug’, where’re you off ta in such a hurry?”

“Hello Jou,” Yugi mumbled, eyes falling on the ground as the blonde haired bully moved to stand in front of him. “H-Have a good weekend,” Yugi moved to step around him, but Jou blocked the way easily.

“Not so fast Yug’. You’ve been actin’ kinda strange lately,” Jou pushed his hands into his pockets and leaned forward to examine boy in front of him. Their faces were only inches apart and Yugi could feel the blond’s breath against his skin. Yugi noticed now that the blond’s locks were greasy and unkempt as they brushed his nose. Feeling the boy’s breath against his face unsettled his stomach. “Did ya eat something weird, or somethin’?”

Yugi shook his head, “No.” He had changed since Atem had come into his life. Jou used to pick on him a lot worse, but now it seemed like even Jou didn’t enjoy shoving Yugi in his locker anymore and just did it out of habit. Yugi used to feel really embarrassed that he couldn’t stand up for himself, and even though he hadn’t gotten better at standing up for himself, he didn’t care as much about Jou’s actions. “I guess,” he started, “I just have more important things on my mind lately.”

Inside Jou’s pockets, his fists clenched. He straightened up and gritted his teeth, “Is that so? You’ve got more important things than my friendship?”

Something dark in Yugi stirred, and before he could stop himself, he scoffed, “Is that what you call it?”

Jou’s mouth twisted in a sick smile and he pulled one hand from his pocket, reached forward and grabbed Yugi by his shirt. “I’ve spent so many years teachin’ ya how ta be a man, and this is how ya repay me?” Yugi's little fists clenched at his sides, but he didn’t say anything. In that moment, Jou could have sworn he saw Yugi’s eyes turn solid black for just a moment. After a tense moment, he dismissed it and rattled Yugi while he had him by the collar. “Well? What’ve ya got ta say for yerself Yug’?”

The rattle distracted the darkness inside him long enough for Yugi to gain control of himself.  Replaying the conversation in his mind, Yugi thought quickly, “Didn’t you want me to stand up for myself? I thought something like that is what you would have wanted me to say.” It was a lie, and Yugi knew it, but Jou didn’t catch on. Yugi wasn’t sure what had washed over him a moment ago and made him lash out, but he felt a heat rising in his chest as if that dark presence was going to return any moment. He decided to get the hell away from Jou before it happened again.

Cocky at the sideways compliment, Jou smirked and let out a smug chuckle as he slowly released Yugi from his grip, “Y’know what Yug’? Yer right. I did a pretty good job on ya didn’t I?”

A nervous smile and a nod was all that met him before Yugi took off running, “Have a good weekend Jou!” Yugi ran as fast as his little legs would carry him until he reached the safety of his own home. He leaned against the door once it was closed and allowed himself to slip down to the ground. “What came over me,” he mumbled as he slowly removed his shoes.

“Oh,” Yugi’s mom came in and smiled at her son, “I heard the door open. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Yugi placed his shoes off to the side and took a deep calming breath before he stood up, “sorry Mom! I’m home,” he smiled.

She shook her head fondly and turned around, walking off, “welcome home.”

Yugi waited until he was safe in his room, and the door was locked before having his mental moment. He stood before his mirror, hands cupping his cheeks and tugged downward. He watched as his eyes stretched and his vision went blurry. “What in the world came over me? How could I say something like that to Jou’s face?” The boy stared at himself in shock, and pinched himself for good measure, just in case he had hallucinated the whole thing. “What was I thinking? Jou could have beat me within an inch of my life,” he shook his head, fingers tangling in his hair and tugging at his short locks. “Oh god, what if Jou expects me to be that way from now on?” An exasperated groan left the poor boy as he continued to lecture himself.

A throat cleared and Yugi just about jumped out of his skin. His chest hurt as he started hyperventilating. “Not again,” he heard as he fell to his knees, gasping desperately for air. His throat felt as if it was closing, and his lungs ached, begging for relief. A cold touch and a rush of air later, and Yugi found himself inching his way over to his bed to lie down. “Is it because I was gone so long?” Atem cocked his head to the side, looking at his human who lay sprawled out on the bed.

Yugi smiled and raised a hand, fingers curling in until he was pointing at the face of his ghost. “You’re here.”

“Yes,” Atem chuckled and looked down at himself. He was sporting his white linens and gold accessories and Yugi found comfort in it. “You were hyperventilating again,” he noted.

“You startled me again,” he admitted, “I wasn’t expecting you to appear so soon after I got home.”

A soft chuckle met Yugi’s ears and it sounded heavenly. “I thought you were anticipating me, especially since you seemed so impatient earlier,” Atem mused, planting his ghostly rear on the edge of the bed and moving a hand to lay atop Yugi’s chest. Yugi could feel the icy touch and couldn’t help but shiver, but it was so calming all the same.

“It’s been quiet without you,” Yugi muttered softly, almost embarrassed of his own feelings. His raised hand slowly fell back down and fell to rest on his chest, brushing the icy fingers of his ghost in his movement.

Atem sighed and pulled his hand back and used it to shift his weight so that he was sitting cross-legged on the bed next to his human. At the absence of the ghostly hand, Yugi found himself gasping from the temperature difference that struck him. “You were deep in thought when I startled you… what were you thinking about? Birthday plans?” Atem smiled, but Yugi’s face seemed to fold in on itself.

Yugi’s eyes shifted, looking around for something to focus on other than his ghost; ceiling paint turned out to be the winner this time. “Something came over me,” he spoke softly, slowly, as if still thinking about his meaning as he spoke, “when I was at school and Jou approached me. I became someone else.”

For a moment, the ghost thought about exclaiming his own innocence , but decided to stay silent and continue to listen instead.

“I felt something dark overwhelm me. I was rude, and mean, and I just felt this… hatred,” Yugi sighed, “I’ve never felt like that before. What’s worse is that I just snapped. What if I snapped on someone like mom or grandpa?” Yugi sighed and closed his eyes. “You probably think I’m crazy,” he chuckled bittersweetly.

“Yugi,” Atem was smiling, and Yugi couldn’t help but notice how delicious his name sounded on those ghostly lips. “I’m an ancient spirit that spends all my time watching a teenage boy. I think perhaps, I am crazy.”

Yugi chuckled, but Atem was pretty sure that had the boy’s eyes been open, he would have rolled them.

“I will protect you from yourself if needed,” Atem stated and although Yugi wasn’t sure what he meant, Atem hadn’t failed to protect him yet. However, there was a feeling tugging at Atem. Something must have happened that day. When Atem removed himself from Yugi’s body, he felt like his existence was being torn in two. The last thing he wanted was a part of his own toxic spirit left in the boy before him. Yugi was pure and gentle, and that was something that Atem wanted to guard with his life; he could never forgive himself for tainting that.

When the room fell silent, Yugi opened his eyes. His ghost was deep in thought, eyes gazing over at the desk. His long black locks were ruffled messily, and his few golden bangs were pushed back, mixed into the mess instead of hanging down like Yugi’s did. “Uhm,” Yugi cleared his throat and it snapped his ghost back into reality, “if it’s alright, I would like to discuss something else?”

Atem smiled and looked down at his young human, “what is it?”

That silken voice almost made Yugi forget what he was going to say. “Well, my birthday is tomorrow,” he smiled. “I’ll be sixteen, you know.”

A smile and a nod ushered him to continue.

“Well,” Yugi sighed, raising himself up so he was sitting. He was just about eye level with his spirit, “Do you think we could just stay here and play this game? I’ve been waiting to play it until you came back.” Yugi leaned over and grabbed a game off his desk. It was the same game that ended two people’s lives.

“You waited so long to play that partner,” the ghost paused, eyeing the case that was still wrapped in plastic, “I can’t believe you waited this long. I thought for sure you would not forgive me for what I did.”

Yugi shook his head, “You saved my life. Although I don’t like the means, I’m grateful that I lived to see another day and that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you. Waiting to play the game with my friend is the least I could do!” A soft pink settled into those cheeks as Yugi waited a reply from his ghost.

“Friend?” Atem raised a brow, intrigued. “I’ve graduated from creepy ghost to friend?” Sarcasm laced his words and Yugi found himself growing redder as he scoffed. His eyes fell down to the sheets beneath him and he took a deep breath to compose himself. A smile settled onto at Atem’s face as he watched the boy’s reaction, “Deal. Under one condition.”

Yugi’s head shot up, “condition?”

A nod, a smile, and a point. “You have to stop hyperventilating every time I make the slightest movement,” he grinned.

“I think I can manage that one,” Yugi nodded and reached over to his desk, grabbing a deck of cards, “Want to play a game?”

With a gentle shrug the ghost shifted so that he was sitting square to the human before him, “sure thing, birthday boy.”

The boy smiled and dealt the cards. His friend was back, his heart felt full, and he finally had someone to play cards with. His birthday was still a few hours away but he couldn’t have been happier.


	9. Nine

Atem watched the young boy sleep peacefully by his side. Atem was sitting at the edge of the bed, his left leg propped up on the bed spread while his right foot stayed planted on the ground. Yugi looked so adorable the way his short locks fell around his head like a halo, and how he whispered in his sleep. Yugi was always so sweet and innocent, even in his sleep. Perhaps it was just the baby blue pajamas that he still wore, but there was something so refreshing about the boy’s spirit that Atem found so intriguing. He watched as the young boy twitched as his dreams changed. Soft grunts passed the boy’s lips as he began to toss and turn in his sleep. “No,” he moaned and rolled closer to his ghost, hands reaching out towards the icy limbs before him. “D-don’t do that. Please don’t.” Atem felt a tightening in his chest as fear laced through his small framed human. “I-I don’t want,” he panted, fingers gripping at the semi-solid leg of his ghost, “I don’t want to die.”

“Partner,” Atem quickly closed his eyes and placed his hand on the boy’s forehead. When he opened them again he was standing in a warehouse, off in a corner, shaded with darkness. In the center of the room hung a single light that illuminated just enough for Atem to take in the scene. His young human was sitting on the ground with his knees curled up to his chest, backed up to a few large blue barrels that he presumed to be filled with some type of hazardous liquid. However, the beast that stood before him was what caught his attention first.

“There’s no way,” Atem thought, eyeing the frame of the beast that was cornering Yugi. He could see little bulges from each one of the monster’s vertebrae, from its back all the way down its tail. The slender beast held itself on all fours, legs bent with all its weight held on the balls of its feet so it could lunge at any moment. Atem took a half step to the side to try to get a better view. As more of the beast came into sight, he saw that it was also holding itself up by its long fingers with claws sharpened to a point. The beast was muscular and toned, and from where he stood, Atem could see the horns that protruded from its skull, and black, soulless eyes that were peering into the eyes of his human. Atem watched as the beast’s long, pointed ears twitched as it leaned in closer, shifted its legs and Atem saw the muscles twitch as if ready to pounce. The action reminded him of an animal hunting its prey.

The beast stepped closer to the boy and his eyes welled with tears, “Please, Please don’t hurt me.” The beast didn’t budge.

“Leave him,” Atem emerged from the shadows, making Yugi jump. The beast’s head turned sharply, eyes glowing at the man before him. Atem stood with his shoulders drawn back, head lifted and chest out as he stepped closer, “I said, leave him.”

The beast turned and stalked closer to the ghost, alternating its steps in an unusual fashion as it approached almost sideways. Each hand hit the concrete with a thud despite the grateful nature with which it walked. Atem looked into the black, consuming eyes of the monster but didn’t shake in fear, didn’t quiver, and instead took another step forward.

“Atem-,” Yugi started, but paused. His eyes latched onto the back of the figure that was growing further away from him. Black, scaly skin shined in the light, and the tail that dragged across the ground caught Yugi’s eyes and kept him from finishing his sentence.

A horrid noise passed the lips of the beast as its mouth opened wide, bearing sharp and pointed teeth. The noise was feral and clearly a warning, but Atem stepped closer again. “Leave,” he stated.

Yugi opened his mouth to speak again, but found himself voiceless. He could only sit there and watch as this monster grew closer and closer to his ghost.

Atem took a deep breath, realizing at this point that he was only steps away from the beast before him. He took another step forward and stood his ground. The beast’s mouth twisted into a sick smile, and Atem felt its rancid breath burning his nostrils. A long, slender arm reached forward, sharpened claws grasping the Egyptian’s chest right over his heart. Its grip clenched and Atem winced as his flesh ripped under the sharp talons as they continued to dig deeper.

Yugi felt the pain resonate through his own chest and reached up to clutch his own heart. “NO!” Yugi screamed and bolted up in bed. His eyes looked around frantically, until he saw Atem sitting beside him, clutching his chest. Yugi leaned over and reached in to touch his somewhat tangible ghost’s chest, hoping to bring him some relief. “Atem,” he breathed, eyes scanning his ghost for any movement.

The ghost gasped. He could feel the pressure of the hand against his chest, but he could also still feel the ripping pain of having those talons dig into his skin. “You woke up,” Atem sighed, and Yugi nodded solemnly.

“I know it was just a dream, but why didn’t you just change the place like you did last time?” Yugi asked softly, “instead of offering yourself as a sacrifice to be ripped to shreds…”

The ghost chuckled, “need I remind you that I’m a ghost? I was more concerned with protecting you, like I said I would.” With a calming breath, Atem put a smile back on his face, “you should go back to bed, it’s still dark out.”

Yugi eyed him over warily, “what if I dream of that thing again? Are you going to come back to finish what it started?” Yugi finally pulled his hand back from the chest of his ghost, “what exactly was it doing anyway?”

Atem shook his head, “if you go back to sleep thinking about it, you’ll dream about it. Why don’t you try to focus on something else?”

Although Atem had obviously dodged the question, Yugi accepted the answer anyway. He curled back up in his blankets and thought about games until he dozed back off. Once the boy was in a deep sleep, Atem took a deep sigh and walked over to the mirror. He raised his tunic over his head and examined his chest. Around his heart were five black scars that hadn’t been there before. Each one shaped in a small triangle, in the same place where the talons were dug into his skin. His hand reached up to touch them and he felt a burning within his soul. “This is bad,” he mused quietly. “What have I done?”

Atem spent the rest of the night seated at Yugi’s desk, making sure Yugi didn’t have another nightmare, while also trying to figure out how to fix this. When the boy’s eyes fluttered open, his ghost didn’t even notice. The boy’s arms stretched out wide as he groaned with his yawn, finally catching the spirit’s attention. “Did you sleep well this time?” Atem smiled. 

A soft grunt of affirmation met his ears  as Yugi finished yawning before sitting up. “I did,” the boy smiled. 

“Happy Birthday,” the ghost grinned, grabbing the video game from the desk and tossing it to the bed. “Didn’t you want to start your best birthday ever right away?” 

The biggest smile Atem had ever seen graced the boy’s features as he picked up the game. “Let’s do it!” Yugi scrambled out of bed, grabbed a hair clip from his desk and pinned his bangs out of his face before running over to his console and getting everything hooked up. He snatched up the controller and found his spot on the ground in front of his bed, back leaned against the mattress like he always did as the game lit up with the intro. 

Atem made himself comfortable on the bed by laying on his stomach and propping his head up in his hands; his feet kicked absentmindedly in the air. And just as promised, they played games, at least until Yugi’s stomach began to rumble and his mom knocked at the door. Atem vanished the second the doorknob began to twist.

“Yugi, are you going to come down for lunch?” She poked her head in gently. “Happy Birthday son,” she smiled. 

The boy quickly paused his game and shifted his weight slowly until he was able to stand. Numbness rang through his legs as they woke up and he stumbled over to his mom, “Thanks mom!” He leaned against the door and pushed it open, spreading his arms wide, waiting for a hug.

“Are you alright?” she chuckled softly seeing him propped up against the door, before advancing and scooping him into her arms.

“Yes,” he laughed, “my leg just fell asleep is all. I didn’t realize I had been playing for so long!” He hugged her tightly. “Although,” he slowly pulled back from the hug, “did you say something about lunch?”

His mom laughed and ushered him down the stairs to the kitchen, “Go eat up birthday boy! It’s nothing fancy, so don’t get your hopes up!” 

The boy charged down the stairs and into the kitchen. Lunch was already set on the table and grandpa was sitting at his chair, “well hurry up Yugi, I’m starving!” He laughed and took his seat as his mom came back into view. She grabbed a cake from the fridge and set it in the middle of the table. 

“For dessert,” she reminded, watching her son eye the cake. He grumbled an affirmative and they all sat down to eat. Yugi enjoyed the quality time with his family and when the meal was over his mom pulled out a few gifts and set them before the boy. 

Yugi’s eyes lit up when he saw the small bags and dug into them excitedly. Inside the first was a puzzle box. Yugi tugged on it and tried to open it, but he couldn’t, “how do I open it?” 

“The puzzle is how you open it,” his grandpa chuckled and took the box from the boy. He pressed his thumb against the middle and Yugi’s eyes lit up when a plate shifted. “You can only open it by solving the puzzle,” the old man laughed. Yugi snatched it back and turned it over in his hands. 

“Don’t forget about your other gifts,” Yugi’s mom chuckled and snapped her son out of his daze. He set the box down and reached out to grab a small bag with tissue paper in the top. He pulled out the small tuft of paper and looked down into the bag. 

“Moooooom,” he nagged as he pulled out the small package of hair clips. “Really?” he laughed. 

“Well all of mine keep disappearing,” she chided, eyeing the clip atop his head. “Like the one on your head.”

The boy sighed and conceded, “thanks mom,” he finally smiled before moving onto his last gift.  Inside this bag he found another video game, “Oh my gosh,” he gasped. He pulled the game out and stared at it in shock. “It’s been so long since I played this game. How did you ever find another copy? I thought they were all gone?”

“Well, your grandpa has his trade secrets,” his mother chuckled, happy to see the joy it brought her son. 

He looked up at them, game clutched tightly in his hands, “Can I?” 

A soft smile and a nod had Yugi running up to his room and changing his console setup to play this new game. 

“Good gifts I guess?” Atem reappeared in the same spot that Yugi had left him. The boy held up the game frantically, but he realized pretty quickly that Atem had no knowledge of the game. 

“This was one of my favorite games growing up,” he smiled and nestled back into his game playing nest. “I played it so much that I ruined the cartridge. Mom and Grandpa found a copy of it!” 

“Oh?” Atem beamed, “So I suppose you’re going to play it until you ruin this one?” 

Yugi nodded and settled into silence as he played his game. Atem stayed close by and watched the game before deciding to trace his ghostly fingers  through Yugi’s hair again. After a while, Atem began to fiddle with the locking box that Yugi’s grandfather had given him. He tinkered with it for hours before he gave up trying to open it. “I don’t know how you’re going to open that box, partner,” Atem chuckled as he set it on the desk. 

“I will work on it until I do,” he answered, almost nonchalant due to the amount of focus he had on his game.

A knock came at his door again and Atem faded away again. Yugi paused his game and cracked the door. “Yugi,” his mom smiled, holding a plate in her hand, “I brought you dinner. I know you’re engrossed in your game, but you have to remember to eat too honey.” 

A soft red settled into the boy’s cheeks as he took the plate, “Thank you mom. Why didn’t you call me downstairs?”

“I wanted you to enjoy your sixteenth birthday,” she smiled, and kissed him before walking back down the stairs. Yugi stood in the doorway, watching as his mother rounded the corner at the end of the staircase before finally backing into his room and closing the door. He looked down at his plate as he reassumed his position on the floor. 

“Well, isn’t someone spoiled today,” Atem chuckled as he reappeared on the bed. 

Yugi hummed happily, having already taken a bite out of the shrimp on his plate. He picked up his controller again, but before he pushed play he turned to look at his spirit. “You’re not bored, are you? We can do something else if you are….”

A small smile graced the ancient spirit and he shook his head, “I’m enjoying this, please, continue.”

The younger boy smiled as he turned back to his game and resumed his play. Atem laid back on the bed and twirled his fingers around in Yugi’s hair. Yugi enjoyed the icy, yet airy touch to his scalp. He played and played until he got stuck, and the flustered angry face he made had his spirit rolling with laughter. “You look constipated,” he chided.

Yugi blushed, “I’m just frustrated. I can’t beat this level!”

The ghost continued to laugh until he looked away from the boy’s face, calming himself by staring at the wall instead. “Perhaps that means it’s time to call it a night?”

A soft groan passed the boy’s throat, “It’s still so early.” His spirit laughed again so he checked the clock. It was after midnight. “Oh, maybe it’s not so early…” he laughed nervously, as if he were embarrassed about something so small. 

“Why don’t we get you ready for bed? I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep?” Atem suggested, and Yugi accepted without complaint. The TV turned off, and the boy crawled into bed. He hadn’t even changed out of those silly blue pajamas all day. Atem moved on the bed so that Yugi could crawl under the covers. Once the boy was settled, Atem found a place beside the boy to sit. “Did you have a good birthday?” 

Yugi smiled as he pulled the covers up just how he liked them. “I did! I’m glad that I didn’t spend this one alone,” he admitted. 

A hint of pain laced through Atem’s chest, and he realized Yugi must have been recalling all of the birthdays he spent on his own. “Well, I’m glad I could be here,” Atem smiled down at the boy as he moved to rest one of his legs on the bed. 

“I’m glad you were too,” Yugi smiled before a yawn overtook him. He nestled into his covers as his eyes started to close with exhaustion. Atem smiled, but tried to act as though he weren’t watching the boy. The spirit gauged that from the sleepiness filling the boy’s mind that he would be asleep shortly. Every time Yugi dozed off, one of his eyes would close before the other, and a corner of his mouth would be left open. This time, however, Yugi pushed through his exhaustion and mumbled something, “Can I ask you something now? I didn’t want to talk about it earlier because I didn’t want anything to ruin the day.” A soft hum was his only answer. “While you were gone, I had some strange dreams . I saw this large, black beast looking thing one night.” 

“You mean last night?” Atem cocked his head.

“No,” Yugi shook his head, “This one was different. It was bigger than the one in my dream last night, and had red eyes instead of black. I also don’t remember it having a tail.” Yugi’s eyes started to glaze over as he remembered the beast he was describing, “It stood up though, like a human. And I remember,” he paused, moving a hand over his heart as he yawned again, “It made this shrieking sound, and I remember feeling this pain and sadness fill me…”

Atem tried to keep his face straight at the description and he swallowed hard. “I’m sorry partner, but I haven’t heard a question yet?” Atem’s words were met with silence and he looked down at the young boy and found him already asleep. A soft, nervous chuckle passed the ghost’s lips, “Sleep well Yugi, we’ll finish this in the morning.”


	10. Ten

The moon hung high in the sky, and Atem watched it through the skylights as he listened to his human sleep. He had since moved to sit across the end of the bed. He leaned against the wall with his feet stretched out straight so he could be more comfortable. Atem thought about his predicament as Yugi slept. He had to rid the human of that beast before it was too late, but he had to do so without exposing his true self to him. Yugi knew that he had dark powers, but what Atem had done that day was barely scratching the surface. The ancient spirit glanced down at the boy as he slept, “for sure,” he thought, “you would banish me if you saw my true identity.”

The gentle sound of a yawn met his ears, and his eyes flicked up to the face of the young boy to see violet orbs peeping through heavy lids. “What time is it?” Yugi yawned and rolled over onto his side to get a better look at his ghost.

“Time for you to be asleep,” the spirit sighed softly. In the darkness of the night, Yugi closed his eyes and enjoyed the velvety voice of his spirit. It felt like it had been so long since he had heard the spirit's words dance in the air. The words floated into his ears, danced along his nerves, and nestled right in his heart. He felt so peaceful. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“No,” Yugi admitted, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Atem stared, waiting for the boy to move, “well you should probably do that…”

“But,” Yugi sighed softly, his words beginning to slur with sleep, “I’m so comfortable.” The spirit laughed at his childishness before talking him into getting up. “I’ll be back,” the boy moaned as he stumbled out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom. Atem found himself chuckling at the absurdity of it all. “What are you laughing at?” Yugi rubbed his eyes as he crawled back into his bed and resumed his position on his side.

“You’re adorable,” Atem admitted, holding back a chuckle as Yugi’s heart raced and his cheeks filled with blood.

Yugi mumbled under his breath, but Atem let it go. Instead, he decided to resume their conversation from earlier, hoping that Yugi wouldn’t be thinking clearly enough to remember his words in the morning. “You never finished your question,” Atem reminded, “you fell asleep before you could finish.”

Yugi only grew redder, “I’m so sorry,” he paused, trying to remember what he had asked about, “uhm, where were we?”

“You were describing seeing another monster, but you never asked a question,” Atem filled in.

The smaller boy yawned again, “oh yeah.  Do you think they’re the same monster? Maybe my imagination is just making them scarier than they really are.”

Atem thought about how to answer for a moment, before he opened his mouth, “Well, I didn’t see the first one, but based on your description, I would think the first one sounds much scarier.”

Yugi sighed, “You would have had to have seen it then. But, you don’t think they’re real, do you?”

Atem chuckled, “Far be it for me to question that. Look how many people don’t believe in ghosts, and yet, here I am.”

A chuckle met the spirits ears before Yugi continued, “You were so brave in my dream that night.” The boy seemed to be dozing off again, or replaying the scene in his mind; Atem couldn’t tell which. “But you didn’t change the dream like you did when I had that nightmare about dragons and wolves…”

Atem sighed, of course Yugi would remember that. “You’re right,” Atem confessed. He took a deep breath before he continued, “my instinct to protect you kicked in, and I may have acted foolishly. I hope you can forgive me.”

The boy nodded, stifling another yawn and curling up in his blankets closer, “of course. You’ve done so much to protect me… how could I not?”

If the spirit had a beating heart, he was sure that it would have skipped a beat. He never would have expected to hear the boy say those words, but he was so glad to hear them.

“Oh,” the boy started, pulling Atem from his thoughts, “that night.” Yugi raised a hand, finger lazily pointing at his spirit, “you told me I needed to return to my own mind.”

The spirit raised a brow, trying to recall what Yugi was talking about, “could you explain a little?”

Yugi’s brows scrunched together in frustration as he tried to get his sleepy brain to think clearly. “I was in Egypt, and you,” he was stumbling through his words, but he was determined to get through them, “you told me I needed to go back to my own mind. What did that mean?”

The spirit finally made the connection and tried to think of the best way to explain it. “I know what you’re talking about now,” Atem spoke softly, not wanting to wake his sleepy friend. “Somehow, you had wandered into my mind.” As sleep continued to take the boy, the best response Atem got out of him was an affirmative grunt. “You see Yugi,” Atem continued on anyway, watching the boy’s eyes fall completely shut, but he was still holding on to consciousness as best he could, “that place is where my soul resides when I’m too weak to manifest in the real world. If you were to stay there, your body would not rest.” The spirit paused, hearing a soft snore fill the air before he continued, “If you were to stay there, you would not be able to wake up.”

Atem sighed, listening to the calming sound of the boy’s breathing as the room grew quiet. “Don’t you worry partner,” Atem eyed the boy cautiously, his eyes tracing every curve and dimple of the boy before him, “I’ll save you from what I’ve done. Even if it means I will have to leave you forever.” Yugi looked so peaceful in his sleep; he reminded Atem of a porcelain doll. The boy’s clean heart resonated off of him, even in his sleep, and every moment that passed made Atem feel even more guilty for almost corrupting the poor boy’s soul. 

When Yugi woke in the morning, he found his ghost laid out beside him with his head propped up on an elbow. Atem’s face was so close to his own that Yugi scooted away out of instinct. “Good morning partner,” Atem smiled, sweet as always, “it appears that you slept well.” A gentle nod and a soft hum answered him. “Sorry if I startled you, I got a little tired of sitting at the foot of the bed.”

The boy shook his head and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes gently, “it’s okay, I just wasn’t expecting it. Did you really watch me all night?” Atem’s mouth formed an unusual smile; it was something sweet yet sad. “Were you worried,” Yugi paused, watching Atem’s figure for any changes, “about that monster?”

Atem used the opportunity to sit up and stretch, “perhaps. I just don’t want any harm to befall you.” 

Yugi shook his head and crawled out of bed, “I’m alright Atem, it was just a dream right?”

Atem shook his head and sighed, “I guess you’re right.” He watched as Yugi headed towards his closet to get dressed, “What’s on the agenda for today?” 

Yugi shrugged as he started to change. He turned back to see that his spirit had turned his head to give him some privacy. “I haven’t decided yet,” he admitted, “I’d like to go to the arcade.”

“Let’s do that then,” Atem wasn’t sure where his human’s hesitation was coming from. “You love the arcade.” Silence met him, and Atem decided to wait patiently for an answer. 

Once the boy was dressed, he sat back at the edge of his bed, back facing his ghost. “It’s over by the game shop,” Yugi admitted. He kicked his feet over the edge of the bed, trying to focus on them instead of clinging to every movement of his ghost. 

“Oh,” Atem moved to sit next to the boy, bumping him gently with his arm, “y’know, I won’t let anything bad happen to you again.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Yugi sighed. Atem could feel the mixed emotions of the boy swelling in his own chest. “I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

Atem shook his head, “then I won’t possess you. No matter what. If I need to interfere, I will figure something else out.” While the ghost thought, Yugi leaned into the cold touch of his somewhat corporeal ghost. Yugi found it similar to the day Atem first showed himself, how he was able to lift the boy with his icy hands cupped on his cheeks. Although his touch was cold, it had felt so warm that day. “I’ve got it!” Atem cheered, pulling Yugi from his daydream. “I’ll just move the stuff in the environment, or maybe, I’ll pull their pants down to their socks!” 

Yugi smiled, “I can get on board with those.” 

“Good!” the ghost nudged the boy, “now let’s go to the arcade!” 

“Mm!” Yugi finally got up and trotted out of the room. Atem dissipated into the air, but Yugi could still feel his presence. 

Once out of the house, Yugi checked his pockets to make sure he had enough money and trotted off for the arcade. He thought about which game he would play first, if there were any new games, and which games to avoid. Yugi walked cautiously down the street, his eyes peeled for anyone that could cause him harm. He was still distressed about what happened that day, but he was more concerned now with making sure there wasn’t a repeat performance. His breath came out in soft huffs as he continued on, the arcade only one more block away. 

“Hey, you,” a man’s voice broke through Yugi’s thoughts and the boy turned to look in the direction it came from. A man was approaching, his right arm in a cast. “You wait right there you little twerp!”

“Oh no,” Yugi swallowed hard and tried to continue walking as if he didn’t know the guy, “it’s that guy. Oh no.” The man, however, caught up rather quickly and cut Yugi off. “I’m sorry sir, you’re blocking my way,” he mumbled politely.

“Oh, now you want to be nice, eh?” The man grunted, raising his broken arm, “After what you did? And what you did to my friends?” 

Yugi shook his head, “I, I don’t know what you mean.” 

With an angry groan, the man punched Yugi in the gut and dragged him down an alley while he was bent over in pain. “You killed them, you sadistic little cunt,” he spat, fist clenching in Yugi’s shirt and pushing him against the wall and raising him up until his toes were off the ground.

“I-I’m really sorry, mister but I don’t know,” he continued on, voice soft and frightened.

Another punch hit him in the stomach and Yugi squinted in pain. He felt heat rising up in him, as if he were about to vomit, and his vision started to go gray. His head felt thick and foggy, the only thing he could focus on was the pain and anger pulsing through his body. When his eyes opened again, they were black, and a sadistic little grin found its way onto the boy’s face. “Oh,” Yugi spoke, but this time it was cold and collected, confident even. His eyes seemed more focused, as if taking in every minute change in his environment, “I remember now. I saw it on the news. How your friend that tried to molest me was electrocuted, and your ringleader was devoured by the darkness in his own heart.”

The man grew angrier and pushed his greasy brown locks out of his face with his free hand, “you’re going to pay for what you did to them. I’ll kill you,” he reached his hand into his pocket for a knife, but it was gone. His eyes scanned around quickly and he saw it laying on the ground a few feet away. “Damnit.”

He lowered Yugi back to the ground and made a move for his knife. “I don’t think so,” Yugi stated, reaching out and grabbing the man by the back of his shirt, “that’s cheating.” Yugi yanked sharply on the man’s clothing and sent him flying backwards, his back hitting the ground with a hard thud. 

“Who’d have thought you’d be so strong,” the greasy man sat back up with a grin. “No matter though, it’ll just be that much more fun when I kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Yugi bent down and grabbed the knife. He raised it and took a deliberate step towards the man on the ground. Yugi held up the knife as he moved forward, twirling the blade around in his hand, “should I slit your throat, or your gut? Decisions, decisions.”

Instead of answering, the man lunged at the boy, and tripped. Yugi felt himself pushed by an icy cold wind and fell back onto the ground. The boy blinked, his eyes returning to their usual violet color as he shook his head, hand coming up to his forehead as if it would help him balance. His eyes cleared and he took in the sight before him. The greasy thug lie on the ground unmoving, sitting in a small pool of his own blood.    

“Yugi,” Atem’s voice echoed urgently through the air, “it’s time to go.”

“What,” Yugi shook his head, “what did I do?” He remembered everything. He remembered having the knife, and being pushed to the ground. He remembered the man lunging at him, threatening him. He remembered that he said he would kill him. When he spoke again, his voice was wavering, “Atem, what’s happening to me?” 

Atem materialized enough to grab Yugi and help him stand, “I don’t know partner, but I will find a way to make it better. I tried to help, without possessing you.” He continued to push Yugi down the street, making sure the boy put one foot in front of the other. “The best I could do was take that knife away from him. I never would have thought that you would threaten another human being.”

Yugi shook his head and stopped to sit at a bench across from the arcade. He looked up at the blinking lights and listened to the sounds of the winning alarms go off when games were won. “Atem,” he whispered, his eyes falling to look at his hands; he hardly recognized them now, “I killed him.”

“No Yugi, you did not. You dropped the knife when you fell, and he fell on it. You did not trip him and make him fall onto the knife in your hand,” Atem reasoned. “I’ll admit I pushed you, but that klutz fell on his own accord. I had nothing to do with it.” 

“Atem you don’t understand,” Yugi was shaking, his breathing growing faster as a panic attack was about to settle in. “I felt this darkness inside me,” he paused, biting his lip. “I wanted to kill him,” he admitted. 

“Oh, Yugi,” Atem could feel the whirlwind growing inside the boy. This was all his fault. He had to fix it and he had a lot less time to do it in than he had anticipated. “This is all my fault, I’m so sorry. I’ll make you better, I will,” he mumbled, words slurring together in his haste to comfort. 

Yugi shook his head, “you didn’t possess me this time. This was all me.” 

Atem bit his ghostly lip, trying to figure out if he would even be able to explain this all to the boy in front of him. “You can’t let that creep ruin your day though, right? You’ve still got all your money, so let’s go ahead and go play some games. That will take your mind off it,” Atem reassured him and finally, after an hour, Yugi conceded. He had come this far, he may as well play the games he wanted to. Even so, he couldn’t take his mind off of what had happened. In the meantime, Atem used the opportunity to build up the courage to fix what he had done.


	11. Eleven

Yugi returned home late that evening, after having spent all his money at the arcade. The long day of gaming cheered him up, but the walk home reminded him once again of what had happened.. 

“Partner,” Atem manifested as his human plopped himself on the bed. “Please do not think that this was your doing. You wouldn't hurt a fly.” 

“I don’t know Atem,” he yawned. His hands raised to his heart and he closed his eyes. Anger and pain still swelled inside him, “this darkness in me feels like it’s constantly growing.” 

The spirit waited until his human was tucked into bed for the night before sitting beside him on the bed. “Yugi, can I ask you something?” 

Bewildered, the boy nodded. 

“Would you trust me, to remove this darkness from you?” Atem’s words were smooth as silk, and Yugi’s eyes started to glaze over as if in trance. “If I told you,” he continued, “that I could remove that darkness, and give you only light, would you let me?” 

Yugi’s heart calmed, beats growing slower and slower as he listened to Atem’s voice. He felt an icy palm rest over his heart, an overwhelming sense of peace flooding every fibre of his being. A whispered, “yes” was all he could manage. 

“Then rest my partner,” Atem continued, “and I shall meet you there.”

The spirit watched as his human’s eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep. He took a moment to commit this boy to his memory, “If you hate me after this, it will have been worth it to save you.” A deep breath, and a blink later, Atem found himself in Yugi’s dream. They were in Egypt, where Atem had sent them, with the sun high in the sky and the palace garden before them. This time found Yugi dressed in a simple white tunic, and Atem in his shendyt with a large, ornamental pectoral and a headdress with the eye of horus located over his third eye. Yugi was sitting by the pond, watching a frog when the pharaoh walked up. 

“Yugi,” he cleared his throat.  

The boy looked up, “Ate-pharaoh,” he corrected himself, not wanting a repeat of last time. “You came to visit me in my dreams?”

Atem gave a soft smile as he sat down beside his human. “Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll enjoy the premise of this visit.” 

The boy sighed, eyes glued to the frog, “you came to ‘fix’ whatever that monster is, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Atem sighed. “It is my fault that monster exists in the first place.” Although he felt as if his own soul was going to break down, he remained calm. He waited to hear if Yugi was going to say anything, and when he didn’t, the pharaoh continued, his words wrapping the boy up in a silken blanket, “when I left your body that day, it felt like part of my own soul was being ripped in half. I thought, since it was my first time possessing someone, that it just hurt. But when that monster was in your nightmare, that’s when I knew.” 

“Do you mean,” Yugi spoke slowly, thinking over his words before speaking, “that monster, was inside you?”

Atem thought about the best way to answer it, and decided agreeing would be simplest, “more or less, yes.” he paused, “but I could never let this dark monster continue to darken your spirit.”

“How do you plan to fix it?” Yugi’s eyes finally broke away from the frog, and looked up at Atem. He was real, here. His skin was warm and sun-kissed, his clothing looked soft, and the jewelry looked heavy. Yugi’s eyes fell on five small black triangles scratched into the spirit’s chest. He reached out to touch them, wondering if they were tattoos, or scars. Atem flinched from the unexpected touch, but settled into it. The boy’s hand was so warm. Yugi’s fingers traced the black scars, feeling the little indentations that were left there. Beneath his fingers he imagined he could feel the spirit’s heartbeat. His skin was warm and sensitive causing goosebumps to rise under Yugi’s touch. In this place, his spirit really existed.

“Yugi,” Atem reached up and grabbed the boy’s hand, pulling it away from his chest and clasping it in his own. “I have to,” he paused, swallowing hard. Before he could finish, a loud, earth-shattering roar met their ears and they turned. Darkness was swallowing every inch of the sunny desert as the beast grew closer. 

Atem stood, releasing Yugi’s hand and moving closer to the beast. “Yugi, forgive me,” he spared the boy one last glance before he stepped forward and swallowed the lump in his throat.. 

The beast slinked closer, it’s long arms too big for its body, and its tail swishing behind it. It stopped only a few feet from Atem. He took a deep breath, and stepped forward. The beast screeched again and for a moment Atem shuddered. This beast seemed larger than it did last time. “Do you grow, by feeding on the darkness in people’s hearts?” Atem’s voice was low, but clear. The monster gave a sickening grin in response, it’s pink cleft tongue coming out to lick its lips. It raised its long arm and reached forward again, long sickly claws clasping atop Atem’s heart once again. Claws dug into his skin and Atem felt his body burn with heat as his flesh tore. The beast’s grip tightened, and Atem could feel his control loosening. 

“Atem,” Yugi gasped out. He wanted to move forward but he found himself stuck, unable to move, or make a sound. He watched the beast’s claws rip into his ghost’s chest and couldn’t do a thing. But as he watched, he saw something about his spirit start to change. His eyes changed first, the whites being consumed by a dark crimson. The skin and veins around his eyes started to change color next, turning purple and then black, but Atem was still just standing there.

“I will fix this,” he growled, fists clenching at his sides. A pulse of energy emanated from him, and it caught the beast off guard for a moment. Atem could feel himself growing, changing, his body taking its true shape. 

Yugi watched on in horror as he saw Atem’s body swell, and grow. His skin stretched and his bones cracked. The black around his eyes continued to spread, consuming his face before continuing to work its way downward. The beast’s claws were being pushed out of the pharaoh’s chest as his skin grew thicker and stronger. His head changed, as if were made of wet clay being resculpted into something similar to that of a dragon, flattened out with a protruding snout. His ears stretched and looked nearly identical to the beast before him. As the blackness continued to consume his skin, his arms grew longer and longer, his fingernails stretched until they became long, thick claws. His torso rounded over as he put weight on his palms. The bones in his legs continued to crack as they were reformed. 

Yugi watched his spirit transform into a beast so similar to the one that was trying to rip his heart out. He watched as Atem’s spine elongated and a long, thick tail formed and came crashing down to the ground with a heavy thud. He noticed thick, long crimson horns erupt from his friend’s skull, that twisted upwards towards the sky. “Atem,” he whispered, trying desperately to back up, but again, found himself stuck. “What are you?” 

Atem’s skin had finished changing, the only remnants of his human body were the pectoral that hung around his neck and the eye of horus headdress that somehow still fit his extremely warped ears, but fell mostly hidden under his soft spiky black locks. The beast backed away, but Atem wasn’t going to let it go. In his true form, Atem towered over the beast, and there was nowhere that it could hide. He reached forward, claws gripping the beast’s chest and digging in. The beast let out a terrible howl that shook the earth with its ferocity. It was screaming for mercy, but the claws that had a grip on it’s heart weren’t budging.  Black blood trickled to the ground, as the spirit dug deeper. He took a firm grip on the heart of the beast and yanked it out; the beast gave one final cry as it fell. The organ itself was as black as the beast’s skin, consuming the light around it. 

Yugi swallowed a knot in his throat as he looked on in horror. The beast lie on the ground in a puddle of it’s own black blood, but his spirit was still sitting there, holding its heart in his claws. Those crimson eyes glowed as he raised the heart to his mouth, opened wide and ate it whole. 

Once Atem swallowed, the dead beast disappeared, and the light returned to the land. He licked his lips with his pointed tongue and rubbed them clean with the back of one of his large arms. Yugi noted that Atem looked far more terrifying than that other monster had ever been. 

The large black beast of a pharaoh turned himself to Yugi. He shrugged over and got close to the ground, inching closer to the boy on his forearms, but for every inch he moved forward, Yugi moved back. Yugi continued to back up until he felt his back against the palace wall, “of course, come here any other time and I can walk through the wall,” he thought hysterically. 

Atem inched closer, just until his claws were a good foot length away from the boy and he leaned his head forward, resting his chin on his arms. His eyes were downcast, and with a long exhale he turned his head to the side. 

Yugi noticed now that one of these monster’s hands were the size of his chest. Atem’s new skull was so wide, Yugi found himself wondering if he could sit atop it. The boy wanted to speak, but he couldn’t. He wanted to wake up. He wanted to go back to his bed, to talk with his spirit and reassure himself this was all just a bad dream. “Why can’t I wake up,” Yugi whispered nervously, “usually I can wake up when I’m this scared.” 

A sad groan erupted from the monster before him, and it filled the boy with such overwhelming emotion that a tear fell on its own. Atem looked up, his black, scaly cheek, wet from his own tears. He took in a deep breath and Yugi flinched away, curling into a ball against the wall. Atem pushed the air into the sand beneath Yugi and like a drain coming unclogged, the sand spun around and around, sucking the boy out of Atem’s resting place and into his own dream.


	12. Twelve

When Yugi’s eyes dared to squint open, he found himself back in the meadow where he had first seen the first shadow beast. The boy looked around, trying to find any trace of the large monster that his friend had turned into. He was leaned up against the base of one of the trees at the outskirts of the orchard. Slowly, the boy unravelled, taking deep breaths as he relished in the safety that his meadow brought him now. There were no monsters here, no ancient pharaohs, no ghosts, just Yugi. He was alone. 

A bitter chuckle passed the boy’s lips as he took a stick and dragged it along the grass at his feet. He watched as the blades bent with the pressure of the stick, before popping back up as if nothing had happened. 

Yugi started to think about what he had seen. His only friend, a ghost, not only shapeshifted into a large monster but also ripped the beast’s heart from its chest and devoured it. If his friend did that to a nightmare, what would his spirit do to him. “I never thought Atem would hurt me,” he mumbled under his breath, trying to reassure himself. “But what I saw back there,” he paused, trying to take a deep breath but he was nervous and shaking, “that was not Atem.” Yugi felt his heart start to race as he thought about it, his chest got tighter and it got harder to breath. The world around him started to go black. 

The boy sat straight up in bed, gasping for air. His anxiety had woke him. The sky was starting to lighten with the first rays of sunlight and Yugi thanked the heavens that he hadn’t woken in the middle of the night to be devoured by the shadows that were waiting for him. Pain and sadness gripped his chest, forcing him to double over. His fingers clawed away at his chest, wishing he could alleviate the ache that he felt. “Atem,” he muttered, clutching his chest. Yugi had grown accustomed to the feelings of the spirit inside him, but this time the emotions were so strong the boy didn’t know how he would get out of bed. He felt drowned by the gravity of the emotions that flooded him, pumping through him with every beat of his heart. 

A soft knock came at his door, and Yugi straightened up as best he could to greet his mother with a smile when she walked in. “Oh you’re up already,” she smiled, “it’s time to get ready for school.” Yugi nodded, clutching his chest as he crawled out of bed. “Is something  wrong, son? You don’t look like you feel well.”

A fake smile shot her way as Yugi tried to play it off, “I just slept funny and my side hurts. I’ll be alright.”

His mom gave him a suspicious look before accepting it and leaving the room. “If you change your mind, let me know,” she called as she treaded down the stairs. 

Once the door was closed, Yugi’s knees buckled and he fell to the ground, tears flowing freely from his eyes. “Why do I do this,” he sobbed, cursing his body’s reaction. He was angry, so angry that his tears fell on their own accord, just like always. “How could he do this to me. This pain that I’m feeling,” he paused, small hand fisting in his shirt, “is this the guilt you feel for lying to me all this time?”

Yugi felt the pain in his chest thump hard, like a heartbeat, or a kick to the shins. Even though the spirit wasn’t there, Yugi could tell Atem was telling him he was wrong. “Why didn’t you just tell me you idiot? You said you would fix what was wrong, not make it worse.” The boy continued to sob, his hands wrapping as tightly around his torso as they could. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. The emotions ripped at him, eating away at his stamina. It felt as if someone had died. 

“Please,” a soft whisper danced around the room, “get up partner. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

Yugi’s eyes let loose another round of tears, “you’re the one who started this! You didn’t tell me you were a monster. And this anguish I’m feeling, it’s unbearable.”

“I’m so sorry,” the whisper grew a little louder, “I never wanted you to see that side of me.”

“You’re a  _ monster _ , Atem,” Yugi growled. “Please leave.”

The spirit didn’t reply, and after a few moments, the pain and sadness that was consuming the boy alleviated. He still felt it, but it felt much further away. At least he would be able to go to school and take his mind off this whole ordeal.

Yugi went off to school, his backpack hanging from his shoulders, and his eyes on the ground. The last thing he wanted to think about was what had happened the night before, but it still managed to consume his thoughts. Yugi walked onto campus, his eyes catching Jou off in the distance. He waited for the older to come harass him, but instead the bully shot him a smile and didn’t bother to move. 

The boy settled down into his desk in class, pulling out his notebook and getting ready to take notes when he noticed scribbles in the margins from the last time Atem had written him. The sight sent a whole new wave of emotions through him and caused Yugi to bite the inside of his cheek. Pain laced through his beating heart again, and he lurched forward, gasping for air. He raised his hand and tried hard not to claw at his chest. 

“Mr. Mutou,” the teacher looked at him. With a good look at the boy, the teacher knew he needed help. “Class president,” he turned, looking at Anzu, “please escort Mr. Mutou to the infirmary.”

The girl nodded and stood, making her way through the maze of desks to get to Yugi. One of his hands had reached up to his throat, holding it as if that would help him breathe better. Anzu grabbed Yugi under the shoulder and hoisted him up, helping him out of his desk. His eyes had glazed over as he continued to struggle and his hyperventilating got worse.

Yugi followed the pull on his arm willingly. The cocktail of emotions continued to swirl and rage inside the boy, and he kept waiting for the cold rush of wind against his chest to open his airways and bring him back down to earth. 

Anzu pushed the door to the infirmary open and the nurse instantly cleared a cot for the boy to lie on. “What’s wrong with him?” the nurse asked. 

“I don’t know,” Anzu admitted, “all I know is he’s having a hard time breathing.”

“He’s hyperventilating,” the nurse noted and instructed Anzu to help Yugi sit on the cot. His vision went black, and the world around him disappeared. The only thing Yugi was aware of before losing consciousness was the heartache that continued to pump through his bloodstream. They were only a step away from the cot when Yugi went down. 

Once Atem had sent Yugi from his Egyptian resting place, the black beast continued to stare at the sand that his human had fallen through as a portal back to his own mind. The ancient spirit looked down at his large, black arms, noticing that his claws were still covered in blood. He rest his large head up on his arms with a groan. “Yugi will never speak to me again,” he resolved, “the fear in his eyes…” The great beast swallowed hard, slowly hoisting himself up on all fours and making his way for the pond where Yugi had been watching a frog. “I can never face him again,” he thought, a muted whine erupting from his throat. He dunked his great, bloodied hand in the pond, but the blood didn’t budge, and he didn’t have a way to scrub it clean in his current predicament. 

“Great,” he groaned, sinking back down to the ground and pulling his large hand from the water. It was lanky and deformed in shape, beastly, and Atem found his whole form to be fitting for what he truly was. After a long pause to eye his bloodied claws and fingers, the spirit leaned in, drawing his long, pointed tongue from his mouth and began to lick his hand clean. Atem felt like a dog hit by a car. His chest ached, his soul felt like it was being torn again, but he knew that was not the case. As he continued to clean himself, his eyes watched the bench in front of the pond. 

Not long ago, Yugi had sat there, looking at the human shaped spirit. He had touched Atem’s chest, and the warm touch caused something to stir inside the man. He could feel Yugi’s heartbeat through his fingertips as they examined the black scars left by the shadow beast. Another guttural, disheartened whine left the beast. He could still remember the night that the boy had called out to him, asking for someone to save him from the darkness.

Atem had proved himself to be no savior. 

He could feel it when Yugi woke up. He felt the heart wrenching sadness that laced through the boy’s body. Even though he knew the boy wouldn’t want anything to do with him, Atem hurried to his side anyway. 

Yugi sat on his floor, holding himself tightly between sobs. 

Remorse and regret filled the ancient spirit as he mustered the will to speak so the boy could hear him. “Please,” he choked out airily. He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself, “get up partner. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

Atem had expected Yugi’s reaction, and the words didn’t hurt as much as the pain he saw the boy was in. “I’m so sorry,” his voice was getting stronger, “I never wanted you to see that side of me.”

“You’re a  _ monster _ , Atem,” Yugi growled. “Please leave.”

“Perhaps Yugi is much better off without me,” he thought. With a heavy heart, the spirit left his charge and returned the sun of the desert, but he was still unable to return to his human form. A growl emitted from his throat when he looked down and saw the black, scaly flesh he was still sporting. The spirit found a shady place to curl up before resting his head across his arms again. He could still feel the confusion, anguish, and fear beating through his human, but he knew it would be far worse if he was to return there. His own emotions would only make things that much worse. Atem was pulled from his thoughts by the feeling of anxiety overtaking his partner. In an instant, he leaped to all fours, ready to go save him, but he was stopped in his tracks by the claws that were digging into the sand. This body, this truth, is what was causing this. If he were to run to the boy now, there’s no telling if it he would only make things worse. 

He dragged his long claws against the ground, shifting the grains of sand beneath them. He was helpless. Any attempt to help the boy would surely be shot down. All Atem could do was listen to the feelings in his chest as the attack got worse. The great beast growled in anguish and restlessness, until, there was nothing. The anxiety, pain and anguish, all of it stopped in an instant. Those long ears perked up, turning to listen to every minute change in his environment. Yugi must have passed out. 

That could only mean one thing: Yugi would be there any moment. 


	13. Thirteen

With Yugi's appearance only moments away, Atem scurried into the empty throne room. He nestled in the back behind the pillars where the shadows were the darkest. He hoped the darkness would hide him from the boy.

His eyes stayed trained on the main part of the room, where the sunlight reached. Light danced off the gold of the throne and the many decorations, causing a few bright glimmers to be speckled around the room. A yellow glow formed in the middle of the room and Atem settled his head atop his arms and wrapped his tail up near his head so he could cover his glowing crimson eyes, but still get a little peak at the boy.

When the light faded, Yugi was standing in the middle of the great hall, looking around as if disoriented. “Oh no,” he whined, suddenly realizing where he was. He started to glance around for the door but Atem had sealed it away in shadows. The great beast closed his eyes and listened to the heartbeat of the boy start to race. 

Yugi swallowed hard, the tension in the room was thick, and he knew his spirit was in here somewhere. His head was spinning, he was still so scared of the beast but Atem promised to protect him. “I know you're here,” he sighed, “I can still feel your emotions in my chest Atem.” 

The spirit stayed silent, listening.

“You promised you would protect me, right?” Yugi asked to the darkness, but no answer came. The boy fell to the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest, “but if that's the case, why didn't you come to me when I had an anxiety attack?”

Atem was sure if he had a heart it would have broken. The beast scratched it's claws on the ground anxiously. The sound not only gave away the spirit’s presence, but Yugi knew that sound was not human.

“Yugi,” Atem called softly, his eyes still closed so as not to give away his exact location, “I was afraid my presence would only make your attack worse.”

The spirit waited for an answer, but now it was Yugi who was silent. Atem listened for any sound but it appeared that his human wasn't crying or hyperventilating. A deep breath passed the beast before he continued, “You were so scared when you left here, and this morning, you told me to leave. I was sure you never wanted to see me again.”

All that Atem had said was true, and Yugi couldn't argue that. “Why didn't you just tell me? Why did you lie?”

A scoff almost passed the beast’s mouth but he reconsidered it and sighed instead. “This form is embarrassing. It's revolting, but this is what happens when the darkness inside your heart devours your soul…”

The spirit's words stirred guilt in the boy, but Yugi continued to stay silent.

“I didn't regain my human form until I was able to overcome the darkness inside my own heart,” he continued. “What I did to rid your heart of darkness, caused me to return to this… monstrous shape. If you hate me, or you want me to leave you, I will as soon as I can regain my human form so I can reverse the magic I did when we first met.” Atem trailed off, shifting his head slightly. 

Yugi caught the movement in the shadows, and although he couldn't see his spirit, he could still tell he was there. The boy didn't know what to say to Atem’s confession. He was moved to silence as guilt rose up in him. “I,” Yugi spoke softly, considering his words before saying them, “I don't like that you hid this from me, but I think I would have too if I were you. I was terrified when I saw you change. The monster in my dreams had scared me, but what you changed into was much worse. I thought you would eat me alive.” Yugi felt a little lighter after his confession but he wasn't entirely sure that Atem wouldn't still eat him.

“Partner,” Atem chuckled bitterly, “don't you think if I was going to kill you, I would have done it by now? I did this to save you, so that the darkness wouldn't consume you. What happened in the alley with that greasy punk was because of that beast.” Atem reached up and scratched his long ear with a claw before placing his massive hand back to the ground. 

He heard shuffling and turned his head, eyes snapping open out of instinct. Yugi was standing at the edge of the shadows, only a few feet away from him. The boy froze mid step when glowing crimson eyes flew open. He took a step back, “won't you come out?”

“You’re terrified,” Atem groaned. 

Yugi sighed, “of course I am, but I used to be terrified of the dark too, remember? How will I overcome my fear if you don't come out.”

The spirit tried to think of a rebuttal but found no holes in his argument. “If it gets too bad… just speak up.”

Yugi nodded, curious as to why his spirit was so concerned. “I would rather have you by my side… as long as you don't lie to me again.”

“This is the only thing I have hidden,” Atem murmured, shifting slowly and inching to the edge of the light as best he could while staying low to the ground. His long claws and hands came into sight first and Yugi involuntarily took a step back. Atem froze but didn't move back. Yugi had asked to see his true form. 

Yugi took a deep breath and stepped forward. Atem continued to inch closer, until his face began to creep into the light. His snout and mouth were first. Large nostrils that blew air against Yugi's and pushed his hair from his face. Yugi gulped. Atem’s teeth were large, his jaw was wide and he could probably swallow the poor boy in one bite. Atem inched his head into the light a little more, his crimson eyes were less terrifying in the sunlight. With a gentle thud, he beast rest his head on his hands, his eyes trained on Yugi as the boy took in the sight. Yugi saw his long horns and ears angled up towards the ceiling, but half of them were still covered in shadows. He saw the spirits golden headdress sparkle in the sunlight. 

Atem waited for Yugi to run away, but instead he took a cautious step closer. Yugi stayed silent as he moved closer, watching some of the black scales on his spirit shine in the light. The boy closed the distance between them, and reached out to touch the snout of the beast before him. Atem’s eyes widened at the touch. It felt raw and sensitive, but he wouldn't dare shake the boy off. 

“You’re…” Yugi breathed in disbelief.

“-hideous, I know,” Atem mumbled, trying not to show off his teeth with the boy in such close proximity.

“-soft,” Yugi finished. Atem cocked his head and the movement caused Yugi to withdraw his hand immediately. The great beast turned his head to lay it so he was looking off to the side of the boy. His snout fell back into the shadows but now his ears and horns were within touching distance of the boy. “I mean it. I thought with the scales you'd be cold and rough to the touch, but you're incredibly soft.” He reached out again, aiming for the beast's horns but found his arms a little too short. He wouldn't be able to reach them without climbing on top of Atem’s hands. “Can I touch your horns?” Yugi looked at the eyes of his spirit, waiting patiently. 

Atem grew nervous, confident that his human would run away, but he complied. A soft, apprehensive groan met Yugi’s ears but the beast shifted and tilted his head so his horns were within better reach for the boy. “Please don't touch my ears though.” 

“Right,” Yugi affirmed before placing a gentle hand on the twisted horn. It was cold and rough, and Yugi could feel little grooves beneath his fingers even though he couldn't see them. He tried to wrap his fingers around it, but it was so thick his hand barely reached around half of it.

“Are you scared,” Atem asked, startling the boy and making him fall backwards. With Atem’s quick reflexes, he scooped one of his colossal hands behind the boy to catch him. Gently, slowly, he lifted Yugi upright once again. Yugi swallowed hard, seeing how easily he could be gripped in those claws. A single claw was almost the full length of the boy’s arm and nearly as thick. Yugi felt himself breathe again when Atem’s misshapen hand returned to his side. Even though he was pretty sure his heart would stop, he appreciated the assistance.

“Not as much now that I can take it in at my own pace,” he admitted. “Plus it helps that I'm not watching you devour…”

“Partner,” Atem’s voice came as a warning. “It's best to leave those thoughts for another time.”

After a moment Yugi conceded and sat down in front of the beast. Yugi was now face to face with the razor-sharp claws that were scratching absentmindedly along the ground. Moments ago, they had saved him from a fall, but now they looked menacing. He reached out to touch them but he hesitated. 

“I think that’s enough for today partner. Don't push yourself too hard,” Atem pulled his hands back and pushed his snout to the boy's chest. The bottom of his jaw rest in Yugi’s lap, while his nostrils were directly over the boy’s lungs. The touch filled Yugi with warmth and peace. “I doubt I will be able to manifest for you in the real world right now. Please be patient with me. I will do as much as I can for the time being.”

Yugi’s hands reached up to either side of the large muzzle that was pushed against him. “Don’t leave me,” Yugi whispered, “please.” The touch was gentle, but unused to the contact, Atem’s scaly flesh was hypersensitive. He refused to acknowledge the instinct to shake it off, and tried to memorize the touch for fear it would be his last.

“I will stay as long as you’ll have me,” the spirit reminded. “It’s time for you to leave this place, partner. Or you won’t be able to wake up.” 

The boy nodded, shooting a honest smile to the crimson eyes before him. “I’m ready,” he smiled and held his breath. Instead, he felt a rush of wind when Atem exhaled and his lungs expanded, taking in air he didn’t know he was missing. His lungs felt icy as the world around him faded to black. The gentle pressure of the muzzle against his chest and in his lap faded away as he returned to consciousness.


	14. Fourteen

When Yugi’s eyes fluttered open, he felt calm, peaceful even, but the crowd of people around him did not share the same feeling. The school nurse, his mom, his grandpa, and Anzu were all standing by the cot he was stretched out on, eyeing him anxiously. 

“Yugi, darling,” his mom sat down beside him, grasping his hand in her own and squeezing it gently. “What happened?”

The boy shook his head, “I just had a little anxiety attack. I’m alright now.” His family was very aware of his anxiety issues, and his mother only nodded in response. “I do feel better. Can I go back to class?”

The school nurse shook her head and went over to her table to scribble a note on a piece of paper. “I’m afraid not,” she handed the note to Anzu, “please give this to your professor. I’m sending Mr. Mutou home for the day.”

Yugi sat up in protest, a little too quickly, and found himself getting lightheaded from the motion. He recalled that he skipped breakfast and was probably hungry. The turmoil that had been boiling inside him had suppressed his appetite, but now that it was mostly gone he was ravenous. *There was still a prick of sorrow dwelling inside him, no doubt it was from his spirit and his distaste for the monster he was. Yugi didn’t care. Yugi wanted his friend back, even if his friend turned out to be some monster spirit. Atem had done this to protect Yugi, there was no way he could shun his friend for doing so.

“Let's get you home,” his mom wrapped an arm around his small waist and helped him up. 

“You gave us quite a fright Yugi,” his grandpa gave him a stern look, but smiled a moment later. “I'm glad you're alright.”

“Thanks grandpa. I'm sorry I worried you both,” he sighed softly. Yugi hated being helpless. If he had better control over his anxiety this never would have happened, but then again, he probably wouldn't have seen Atem for quite some time. Yugi thought about the experience the whole way home. Was that egyptian palace really his spirit's resting place? It made sense that he wouldn't be able to wake on his own from that location, but what kind of magic took him there in the first place? Everything about that land felt real. The heat of the sun, the sand beneath his feet, the warm touch of his spirit, and even the rough horns he'd touched all felt so real. 

When Atem had sent the boy back to his reality, he was flooded by a sense of relief and peace. The turmoil in him had settled, but now he was back in his throne room, alone. 

Unlike Yugi, Atem was used to being alone. After thousands of years trapped between his memories and the real-world, unable to move on, Atem found comfort in the silence. At least he did before Yugi came along. Yugi’s presence awakened something in Atem, something despicable and sweet all at once. Atem resented himself for the feelings that had stirred inside him. 

In the throne room, Atem wished for the boy’s return. He wished to feel that warm, gentle touch against his hypersensitive scaly skin. Yugi had been much braver than the night they met, and Atem couldn’t help but feel a little prideful about it. However, he knew that this was strenuous on the boy. The spirit understood how shaken the boy’s trust must be, but now he had nothing left to hide. His honest, true, hideous form had been seen by his innocent host. Yet, instead of running as Atem had anticipated, Yugi embraced the change cautiously. The great beast closed his eyes, willing himself to change back to his usual form, wanting desperately to get back to his human. However, when he opened his eyes, he was still a monster. The spirit huffed and tried again. His eyes fluttered open and he cursed under his breath, “still a monster.” 

In desperation and annoyance, the beast clawed at the ground beneath him and released an exasperated sigh. He could feel Yugi’s spirit, weak from the difficult last few days, and he longed to go to the boy’s side. “There’s no way I can go to him like this,” he groaned, “if I so much as attempted to manifest for him this form would take up the whole room.” 

Atem considered going anyway and simply staying a whisper in the air, but he knew that it might send Yugi into another panic attack. While he attempted to come up with a way to see his human, he paced around the throne room, tail thudding impatiently against the walls and pillars as he moved.

Yugi’s mother tucked him into bed and placed a bowl of soup in his lap before taking a seat at the edge of his bed. “I didn’t know your anxiety was still so bad,” she sighed sadly, eyeing him in the way that always made him feel guilty. Yugi hated the pitiful look that she stared at him with, he wanted to be stronger, more confident, and able to take care of himself. Her look only made him feel smaller, weaker, and insignificant. “Do we need to see another doctor?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I’ve been doing better lately. I think I was just really tired. I always have a harder time with it when I haven’t slept well.” Graciously, he drank his soup. A golden bang fell before his eyes. He moved it out of the way with his fingers, but it fell back when he tried to take another swallow of soup. 

With a chuckle, his mother reached up and undid the pin holding her hair in place. She reached forward, pushed the bangs from her son’s eyes and pinned them out of the way. “Is that better?” she smiled. 

Yugi smiled, “it is. Thank you.” A soft hum was his only answer, but she continued to sit at the edge of the bed and wait until the boy finished his soup. When he handed her the bowl back, she rose and moved a few puzzles and books within reaching distance from the bed.

“In case you can’t sleep… I will leave these here, but you should get some rest son,” she reminded gently before pulling the door closed and descending the stairs. Yugi had too much on his mind to sleep, and instead opted for the deck of cards his mother had placed within reach. As he shuffled the cards and set up a game of solitaire, he remembered how his spirit liked to play with the cards as well. 

“Atem?” he mused softly, waiting patiently for a response. When he was met with silence, Yugi’s mind began to race. “Is he gone? Did I scare him away? Is it possible,” he thought, “that he left me? He said he might not be able to appear, but couldn’t he say something?” The pitter patter of the boy’s heart grew stronger and stronger as he began to play out every scenario in which he lost his ghostly friend. “I probably ruined our friendship,” he whined, “because I was afraid of his true self. What kind of friend am I if I can’t accept that everybody has something they want to keep secret?”

“Yugi,” a whisper echoed around him. 

Yugi’s head shot up, eyes flicking to every surface in the room, looking for the familiar figure of his spirit. “Atem?”

“Yugi,” the voice came again. It was soft, but it wrapped around Yugi’s mind like a silk robe, dragging him into a calmer state of mind. “Do not speak so lowly of yourself partner.”

“Atem,” Yugi’s mind was stuck like a record, doomed to replay the last second infinitely. 

“I’m afraid I can only do so much for you right now. Your body is extremely weak from the stress you’ve encountered. That, coupled with my current physical state, keep me from showing you my face.” Atem’s voice faded out, and Yugi thought momentarily that he was all alone again. 

“Is it alright,” Atem spoke again, slower this time as if choosing each velvety word moments before releasing it into the air. “If I was to try something?”

These words finally released the latch in Yugi’s brain that allowed him to catch up. His mind raced with images of atrocities committed by his ghost and his heart skipped a beat in fear. Atem, being finely tuned into Yugi’s emotions, recognized the flutter of nerves in the boy’s heart and decided to elaborate. “I would like to see if I could manifest in a more reasonable size for you? I also think you may find me less intimidating that way ?”

Yugi seemed to toss the idea around in his head. He wouldn’t deny the opportunity for a pocket sized pharaoh. Also, he was sure that the beastly form would be far less intimidating if it were smaller. “If you can do that, I would like to at least have you here with me. I don’t like the idea of you being trapped in that throne room all alone.” The boy could feel his chest thump with something warm and he knew that his spirit appreciated his words.

“You don’t need to worry about me Yugi. I’ve been in this state for thousands of years,” he reminded softly, “I’m more than used to being alone.” Even though the words came out, Atem could tell they were no longer true. He longed to be by the boy’s side at all times; he no longer wished to be alone. 

“Well,” Yugi stuttered, spinning a playing card around in his fingers, “I like having you here with me.”

“But Yugi,” Atem’s velvety voice was starting to lose its touch. The rough edges and insecurity were breaking through, “you’ve seen what I am. It terrifies you.”

“I don’t care,” the boy groaned, rolling his eyes and hitting his fists against his sheets, “you’re still my friend. I just need some time to adjust.”

A soft, velvet chuckle echoed through the room, “alright partner, I concede. I will see what I can do.”

The boy’s fists unclenched and he shuffled his cards while he waited. The room grew cold, sending chills down Yugi’s spine and making him scoot just a little deeper under his covers to stay warm. Slowly, the it felt as if the cold area was shrinking, as if growing more concentrated near the end of Yugi’s bed. 

Yugi shook off his covers a bit as the room grew warmer. Atem started to materialize at the end of his bed. The cold still grazed his toes through the blanket, but he didn’t mind. As the spirit came into sight, Yugi had to stop himself from chuckling. Atem’s head was resting on the edge of the bed while he sat on the floor. Without the darkness to hide him, Yugi took in the full details of the beast before him. As Yugi had suspected, Atem wasn’t nearly as frightening now that he was smaller. “Atem,” he sighed sweetly, smiling and moving his cards to the desk. 

Atem’s tail started to swish against the ground as he raised to stand on all fours. His hind legs were shorter than his arms, but it didn’t stop him from planting his long hands on the bed spread. His hand fell atop Yugi’s foot, and Atem praised that they were nearly the same size. Perhaps in this smaller form, Yugi wouldn’t be so scared.

“Can I?” Atem’s crimson eyes stayed trained on the boy, waiting for permission to move closer. 

“Of course,” Yugi smiled and patted the covers. Atem accepted the invitation and jumped atop the bed. He was still huge, Yugi realized. He was much smaller, but in this form the ghost still took up more than half the bed. 

Atem sat in the farmost corner, trying to take up as little space as possible. His long tail hung off the back of the bed and thumped softly against the ground. “You don’t look scared,” Atem’s tail thumped a little harder and his ears perked up. Yugi could have sworn that his spirit was smiling.

“You’re not so scary when you’re not much bigger than a dog,” the boy admitted. Atem chuckled in response and slowly inched his long arms out in front of him to lay down. Yugi adjusted the way he was sitting and moved a little closer to the spirit. “Can I?” he pointed at the beast’s claws. Atem reached one out, closing the gap between them, and gently placing his clawed hand in the boy’s lap. Yugi gingerly traced a finger along the ghost’s claws. Although Yugi couldn’t truly feel them, he could still tell how smooth and hard they were.  “How come,” he looked up at the beast before him, “you’re so solid looking, despite my exhaustion? Usually you’re so much more transparent when I’m weak.”

Atem looked down at himself, realizing now that Yugi was right. He was almost solid. “I am not so sure partner. I’ve never manifested in the real world in this form before. I wonder if that’s why,” he pondered. 

Yugi dismissed it and laid down with a groan, “I’m a little dizzy.”

“You’re exhausted from the day’s events,” Atem informed him, inching his way up the bed to lay next to the boy. He left as much space as he could between them, but he was still so big that he was only left with the distance of the covers  between them. “I’m sorry I take up so much space, I’m sure you’re not comfortable.”

Yugi shook his head and yawned softly. He rest an arm gently beside the beast, fingers tingling with cold. “It’s okay, I’m just glad you’re by my side again.”

Atem groaned softly, shifting slightly and resting his chin on the boy’s chest through the blanket. Yugi felt a cold wind fill his lungs. He found it comforting and closed his eyes. “Sleep, partner,” Atem encouraged. “I don’t have enough strength to stay with you while you sleep, but I can meet you in your dreams.”

The boy accomplished a half nod before dozing off.


	15. Fifteen

When Yugi came to, he was supine in the meadow with tall grass and wildflowers of all colors surrounding him. He watched as the wind rustled the blades and made them dance. He looked down to where his spirit had been laying only to realize he was alone again. The boy sighed sadly as he sat up. He looked around for any sign of the large beast and was pleased to see his spirit curled up in a ball just outside his little orchard. 

Atem was back to his full size but Yugi didn't feel quite as scared here as he did in Atem’s egyptian palace. Everything in this place was bathed in light, there were no shadows for anything scary to hide in. Even so, he took his time approaching his friend. He watched the way his scales reflected the sunlight, and noticed how Atem’s ears twitched with every step he made. Yugi was sure his friend had excellent hearing but chose to keep his back turned regardless.

As Yugi approached he realized just how large his beastly friend was. Although he was lying down, Atem’s form was so massive that the boy couldn't see over him, but his back was a foot shy of touching the lowest branches of the orchard trees. Yugi watched as his beast's tail dragged along the ground, bending the blades of grass that were in its way. 

Yugi almost missed the end of the tail coming near him, but he jumped back just in time as Atem’s tail hit the ground with an excited thud. A high pitched squeal passed the boy’s lips before he could stop it, and the beast's ears twitched before his whole head perked up. Atem looked over his shoulder to see that Yugi had fallen on his rear only inches away from his tail. “Partner!” the beast gasped, unfurling and spinning around to face his human. He reached out a giant hand carefully, offering a single claw for the boy to grab ahold of, “are you alright?”

Yugi felt as if his heart would beat out of his chest, but he nodded anyway. The claw before him was thick and a dull gray color that reminded him of old books. He reached his arms out and wrapped them around the claw. He clasped each elbow with his hands to hold on as his friend pulled him up. 

Once on his feet, Yugi released the claw, paid it no mind, and proceeded to wipe off the dirt and pieces of grass he acquired when he fell.

“Wow,” Atem smiled, inching his way closer and getting his muzzle only inches from Yugi's face. “Are you getting used to me being like this? You seem much calmer now.” He lied his head in the grass and wiggled a little closer. 

Yugi chuckled at the animated behavior of his spirit, and reached out, placing his hand atop the beast’s snout. His hand was so small in comparison, but the more he saw this massive beast, the less intimidated he felt. “You seem more relaxed too,” he smiled, “you don’t seem so scary when you’re doing cute things like this.” 

Atem groaned and rolled his blood red eyes. “I’m still fighting the darkness that I,” he paused to choose the correct word, “absorbed that day. Please be careful around me Yugi. I don't know what I would do if I  accidentally hurt you.”

“You said we’re partners, right?” Even though Yugi was trying to stay calm, Atem could still feel the boy’s anger swelling. “I’m sticking with you. I’m sorry that it scared me,” his eyes fell to the black scaly flesh beneath his fingers. “I had no idea that hidden inside my friend was this heart-devouring beast, but I’m still here, right? Even though you hid this from me, I'm still here.”

Atem’s eyes widened and the beast let out a huff that pushed Yugi back a step with its force. “I'm sorry I hid this from you partner. I'm glad you've stayed by my side despite this,” the beast began to smile, his long ivory teeth came into view and Yugi had to swallow the knot in his throat. “At least while we're in this place you will be able to get some rest,” he raised his head and looked around, eyes peering through the branches and leaves of the fruit trees. “If you kept going to my Egypt, you would never recover.”

Yugi looked up at the spirit before him, watching as the sunlight made the gold he wore sparkle. He looked around again, admiring the meadow and orchard he was in, “I don't understand,” he spoke softly. “Is this different than any other dream?”

Atem chuckled heartily and the boy could feel the ground beneath him shake. “I haven't told you?”

Yugi's lips stitched together into a frown, “what is that supposed to mean? Another secret?”

“No, nothing like that,” the beast settled down and reassured him. He leaned down and rest his head on the ground again. “If you're not afraid, climb on,” Atem instructed calmly, the velvety hypnotic voice Yugi had grown so used to was back, willing him into compliance. The boy couldn't resist and stepped forward. “Again, don't touch my ears,” the Egyptian reminded. Yugi hummed dully in affirmation. Atem tilted his head so Yugi could grab his horn. With a gentle lift from the beast, Yugi found a place atop Atem’s head, sitting right between his horns, holding onto his charcoal locks tightly. 

The great beast shifted and rose to all fours, and as Yugi came out of his trance he was raised above the tree line. “Oh god,” he gasped, little fists clenching the beast’s hair even tighter. “Atem,” he gulped. 

“Yugi,” Atem’s whole body shook when he spoke, making Yugi cling to him. “Just as the Egypt I showed you was the place my soul rests, this peaceful place,” he paused, allowing his words to sink in, “is where your soul rests.”

“But,” Yugi shook his head, taking in the sight of the endless meadow from a whole new perspective. “I'm not dead.” 

“That's correct,” the beast chuckled once again before lowering himself back to the ground. Yugi was shaking too hard to move, so Atem waited patiently for the boy to calm down. “You must have realized that this place is different. You probably feel at peace every time you're here. But this is the place that you can truly rest and recover after strenuous events.”

“But how come last time I went to Egypt?” Yugi was piecing this information together as best he could. With a deep breath, Yugi crawled down from atop his spirit’s head. 

“Ordinarily I have to bring you there,” Atem confessed, “but this last time you came on your own. I am still not sure how you managed to do it.” 

The spirit’s words fell on deaf ears as Yugi stepped towards the orchard. “This place,” he mused, “is to me, what Egypt is to you?” He continued to trot onward into the orchard and Atem followed toward the line of trees.

“I believe you can look at that way, yes,” Atem agreed. He came to a halt at the treeline, watching as Yugi continued on. He looked ahead and came eye to eye with tree branches. He lowered his head as close to the ground as he could and began to inch closer to the boy.

“I can’t believe it,” Yugi was dazed and lost in thought as he continued on. His fingers reached out and dragged along the bark of the trees. “Is that why this place always feels so real?” Yugi paused when he didn’t receive an answer. Instead a crunching sound met his ears, along with a distressed groan. The boy turned around and clapped his hands over his mouth to keep from laughing. Atem’s horns were wedged between some tree branches and every movement caused more fruit to fall and smaller limbs to break off. The great beast was covered in leaves and smaller branches. “Atem,” Yugi choked out with a chuckle, “I didn’t realize you couldn’t fit.”

“Maybe we could go back into the meadow?” Atem tugged his head back but only got more stuck. “And maybe a little help?”

Yugi laughed and ran over to the beast. He brushed the leaves and small branches from the face of his spirit. Underneath all the debris, he exposed those crimson eyes with an expression he hadn’t seen before. His heart pounded all the way up his throat. Atem was embarrassed, and nervous, both of which were emotions Yugi had never seen or felt from his friend. Yugi decided not to comment on it and instead continued to clean his friend up so he could asses the situation. “I’m sorry,” he sighed before climbing on his friend’s head. 

Atem groaned, closing his eye when one of Yugi’s feet got too close. The boy grabbed a hold of of the golden headdress and used it to pull himself up to the top of Atem’s head. With his head now in the branches, Yugi could see just how stuck his friend was. “Okay, I know what you have to do.”

“Tell me,” Atem huffed softly.

“You’re going to need to move forward a bit,” Yugi stated, and without warning, the beast jerked forward. Yugi grabbed tightly to the beast’s hair as he got knocked around. He tried to keep his eyes on the main branch that the beast was hung on, waiting for him to break free. “There!” The beast stopped. “Now,” Yugi paused, figuring out how to explain what he saw. “You’re going to have to, sorta, tilt your head back so that that your horns are below the tree branches.”

A nervous chuckle met him and the great beast gently tilted his head back. He moved slowly so that Yugi could move forward, crawling onto the headdress to keep from falling as Atem’s head angled back. Yugi held tightly to the headdress, eyes still trained on the horns of his friend. “There,” he breathed, Atem’s horns now parallel to the remaining tree limbs. “Now just inch out of here, slowly.”

“Easier said than done,” Atem groaned, “just don’t let me get stuck again.”

“I won’t. You’ve got this,” Yugi cheered. He held his spot carefully as his friend inched back. “That’s it, you’re almost there…”

Atem grunted and continued backing up. His tail thumped impatiently along the ground. 

“See?” Yugi smiled, “You’re out!”

Atem tilted his head forward again and Yugi went sliding down his muzzle before falling off and landing on the grass. “Yugi!” Atem leaned in, muzzle pressing against the chest of the teenage boy before him. “Are you alright?”

Yugi sat up with a chuckle, “I’m fine Atem.”

“I’m sorry,” the beast mumbled, “I didn’t think you’d slide off like that. I thought you were holding on.”

Yugi shook his head and decided to lay out in the grass. “It’s alright. It was kind of fun, actually.”

Atem cocked his head, “my partner, who’s afraid of everything, said he just enjoyed sliding down my nose and flying to the ground?” 

The young boy snickered , “I guess so.”

“Well, alright then,” Atem chuckled. The great beast curled up next to his friend and wrapped his tail across the boy’s chest. Yugi let his fingers dance along the soft scales of the tail that was resting on his belly. After a few minutes the boy propped himself up against the black fleshed beast and settled in. Atem watched the boy with confusion, but kept his comments to himself. He let the boy relax and grow comfortable with this ghastly form. 


	16. Sixteen

Even with the inner peace that Yugi brought him, Atem was still fighting the darkness that he had absorbed. A war was raging inside the ghostly beast, and it took all of his will and control to contain it. He was better than the dark urges inside him. Something inside him wanted him to destroy the picture of innocence and purity that was resting against him, but Atem wouldn’t. 

Yugi taught Atem how to feel again. Emotions boiled to the surface of the spirit that he thought were centuries past. Emotions that were fed on by the darkness he was still trying to digest. Acid felt like it was rising in Atem’s throat, as if it were bubbling up and preparing to force it’s way out. The ancient spirit recognized it too well. “Yugi,” he spoke softly, his voice a warning. “Go.”

The boy shot up, “what do you mean?”

“Go,” he repeated, “before something happens. It’s not safe.”

Yugi backed away from the beast, eyeing him cautiously, “what’s wrong?”

“I can’t be trusted not to hurt you,” the spirit repeated. His eyes began to fill with black and his claws dug into the ground. 

“Atem,” the boy realized that the darkness inside his friend was starting to consume him. Yugi watched the crimson in his friend’s eyes swirl around as if if being flushed down a drain and replaced with darkness. “You can fight it. I believe in you.” The monster’s face twitched, jaw tightening as Atem tried to fight it. His ears twitched and his nostrils flared as Yugi began to back away.

“GO,” Atem’s silky voice transformed into a deep gravelly tone. The last bit of crimson faded from his friend’s eyes and the beast lunged at him, long teeth chomping closed inches from Yugi’s chest. He watched as the beast pulled his head back again, eyes cold and lifeless. This wasn’t his friend.

Yugi did the first thing he could think of: he ran. He ran into the orchard, grateful that his friend couldn’t reach him in the low limbs. “I should wake up, right?” Yugi raised his fingers, ready to pinch himself. “But isn't it dangerous for him to be in my dreams? I think he said he could get stuck,” he bit his lip. “If Atem’s not in his right mind, what will happen if he gets stuck in my head.”

Atem reached out, clawing at the trees in his way, ripping gashes through the trunks and knocking down limbs. When the trees didn't fall instantly, the beast cried out impatiently and began to pace along the treeline. He crouched low to look between the trees and waited to catch a glimpse of his prey. The vengeful beast pushed his head into the foliage, sniffing for the scent of the human. He pulled his head back from the orchard trees and with an angry cry, began to dig. Long, sharp claws tore up grass, tree roots, and anything that stood in their way as he tried to get to Yugi. 

Yugi heard the sound and peeked around, trying to get a better idea of what was going on. His eyes fell on the sight of those massive claws tearing up the earth beneath them. “Oh no,” he bit his lip and looked around, wondering if he could find a better place to hide. 

Suddenly, the clawing stopped. Yugi looked back and saw large gashes in the ground, the overturned soil piled up a few feet away from where the beast had been. He peered through the trees, trying to find where Atem had run off to.

An unholy roar broke the silence from the other side of the tree line before Yugi was met with another uncomfortable silence.

“Yugi,” a sad, velvety voice called out to him minutes later, “Yugi are you okay?” Atem was starting to panic. He had blacked out when the darkness took over. “Yugi!” 

Instead of answering, Yugi worked his way back to the tree line as silent as possible. Part of him was worried this would be a trick to lure him out into the open. 

Atem spun around in circles, bashing his tail against the ground impatiently and clawing at the Earth nervously. “Please no,” he cried, terrified that he had done the unthinkable.

Yugi reached the tree line and watched the nervous breakdown his spirit was having. He waited until he caught a glimpse of the monster’s eyes; crimson. There was a terrified glimmer in those eyes as he began to pace before the tree line. “Atem,” the boy breathed and ran towards his friend. The beast’s ears perked up immediately and he turned to see where the sound was coming from. He saw his human running towards him in the grass and took it upon himself to close the distance. “You’re okay!” he pushed his muzzle against Yugi’s chest and the boy wrapped his arms around his beast as best he could. 

“You’re okay,” Yugi breathed. “I’m so glad. I was going to wake up, but I was scared you’d be trapped here.”

Atem sighed, “very wise.” Although the spirit wouldn't admit it, he was relieved the boy hadn't woken himself up. There was no telling what could have happened to him if Yugi woke up, but he didn't want to alarm his friend.

“Although,” Yugi admitted, still holding the muzzle of his beast, “I would like to wake up now.”

“I’ll go first then,” Atem smiled and pulled back. He eyed the young boy once again before evaporating into the air. 

Yugi looked around after his friend had left. He eyed the large gashes in the ground that Atem had dug and contemplated how deep they were. However, instead of finding out, the boy closed his eyes and willed himself awake.

Atem manifested himself back by the boy's side and rest his head on Yugi’s chest. His eyes peeped open and he was instantly filled with worry, waiting for his human to wake up.

Yugi's eyes cracked open gently as he yawned. His hands raised over his head as he stretched, enjoying the icy air that swirled around in his lungs. “I almost expected you to be gone when I woke up again,” Yugi’s nervous gaze fell to the black beast that was curled protectively next to him on his bed. “I’m glad you're still here,” he whispered earnestly.

“Well you do make a nice pillow,” the spirit teased cautiously. “But I promised that I would stay by your side. And I intend to keep that promise for as long as you let me.”

A soft rose filled his cheeks in response, “Thanks.”

“Are you feeling better now?” Atem raised his head, twitched his ears and thumped his tail. 

Yugi smiled faintly and nodded, scooting back so he could sit up against his headboard. “Much better. Thank you.” 

The beast hid his face in the covers, “None of this would have happened if it weren't for me.”

Yugi felt his chest tighten with sympathy. “No, Atem. It's because I can’t handle my own emotions.”

A low growl emitted from the beast's throat. “Don't lie to yourself partner.” That velvety voice became sharp as a tack. “I'm the one that created that darkness. I'm the one who hid my true self from you. I’m the one to blame for this.”

The teen’s brows furrowed and he reached a hand out to rest it atop the head of his beast. His hand fit snuggly in the space between his horns. “Stop.”

Atem’s gaze raised to look at the boy, waiting patiently for his next words.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this any longer. If you continue, you'll never overcome that darkness in you. I want to see you be able to return to your human shape again.”

The beast sighed softly, admitting defeat. “Can I ask you something?”

The boy cocked his head to the side, waiting.

“Are you alright? I didn't hurt you in that meadow, did I?” Atem rest his head back in the boy's lap, enjoying the ghost of a touch to his head.

Yugi paused, thinking about how terrified his spirit was when he regained control of himself. “No, I'm fine. You startled me but I knew you'd snap out of it.” 

Atem’s eyes widened at the remark and he shook his head, “how did you know?”

Yugi hummed, trying to decide the best way to describe what he felt but couldn't find the words. “I just knew you couldn't hurt me. Or maybe that you wouldn't.”

The spirit opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock on the door. As the door knob turned, Atem faded away, returning to his ancient Egyptian resting place.

“Yugi?” his grandpa peeked his head in. Yugi’s gaze shifted from the spot where his friend had been to the door, a smile spreading on his face. “Can I come in?” 

“Of course!” Yugi gestured to his desk chair and his grandfather made his way to the chair.

The old man sat down and looked his grandson up and down, “How do you feel?”

An awkward chuckle passed the teen’s lips, “I'm fine. I really didn't mean to worry you both.”

“Don’t apologize, son,” he smiled and began to shuffle the cards on Yugi's desk. “Just take care of yourself. If you feel that bad again, let us know okay?”

Yugi sighed and nodded gently, “I will. This was the first time I haven't been able to calm myself down.” He hated lying but he didn't want to scare his grandpa. A flicker of sorrow filled his chest, but Yugi didn’t let it overwhelm him. Instead he took a calming breath and focused on his love for his family, and how grateful he was to have this spirit in his life. He hoped that Atem would feel those emotions and remind him not to blame himself any longer. 

“Are you okay, Yugi?” his grandpa was holding out a hand of cards, waiting on him to take them. Yugi snapped out of his emotional trance and smiled, taking the cards from his grandpa. 

“Sorry! I got caught up in my thoughts!” Yugi chuckled and settled into the game with his grandpa. 


	17. Seventeen

Yugi stood before the door to his school and took one long, calming breath before crossing the threshold. As he entered the building he hoped no one remembered his panic attack from the day previous. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing anyone remembered. As Yugi walked down the halls he couldn't make out the chatter, but the stares were enough to clue him in on what they were talking about. 

Yugi heaved a heavy sigh, fists clenching around his backpack straps as he carried himself to class. As the door pushed open, his teacher turned to look at him, “Feeling better today, Mr. Mutou?” A soft rose filled his cheeks as he turned his gaze to the ground and muttered an affirmative before navigating to his seat.

Class drag on for the young boy who spent most of his time trying to avoid the looks and whispers of his classmates. When the bell rang to dismiss them, Yugi bent down to grab his bag when shoes came into view. He looked up nervously to see Anzu hovering over his desk. “Anzu,” he smiled softly. 

“Yugi. How are you feeling?” her eyes twinkled with sincerity and Yugi found himself eyeing the ground once again while he contemplated his response. 

They had walked out of the classroom together and started down the hallway before he replied, “I'm much better. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Yugi, I've known you for a long time,” Anzu sighed and looked down at the shorter boy, “and I've seen you freak out before. What happened yesterday… that was different. Is everything alright?”

Yugi cursed to himself. Anzu was highly observant, and that's part of the reason she was chosen as class president. He smiled at her anyway, “I think everything is alright now. I was just overreacting to some news is all.” 

The girl’s brows furrowed in concern and she reached out to grab Yugi by the shoulder. “If you need someone to talk to… don't hesitate to talk to me.”

Yugi pulled out his best smile and thanked Anzu for her kindness. He felt bad for worrying her but he also knew no one would believe that he had an ancient spirit friend who happened to have turned into a large, heart devouring monster. He knew that type of talk would have him institutionalized. 

“Well this is my class,” Anzu smiled and waved the boy goodbye before entering her class. Yugi's next class was still a little further down the hall. 

“Look guys! It's the scaredy cat,” a loud obnoxious voice echoed in the hall. Yugi recognized it but looked up anyway. Blocking the path ahead were Jou’s friends. They all laughed and mocked him, grabbing their chests and pretending to have a hard time breathing. “oh, oh, I can’t make it! High school is just too hard! Class president!” a hefty male with short curly locks mocked before falling to the floor with laughter. 

Yugi took a step back, trying to find another way. “Guys, it's not funny,” he quietly insisted, backing into another one of these bullies, this one taller with slicked back hair. 

“Why don't you come with us?” he grinned, whispering in his ear, as he picked the short boy up off his feet.

“Not like I have much of a choice, do I?” Yugi snorted, regretting it the moment he realized he said the words aloud. A fist collided with his stomach as one of them called him a smartass. Despite it, he thought Atem might be proud of him for his moment of snarkiness.

The class bell rang once the group was outside, signalling the start of the next class.  The group of boys dragged Yugi to the flagpole on the far side of school before letting him go. “This ought to be a perfect spot. No one will be able to interrupt,” a shorter boy shot Yugi a devilish grin.

“What do you want from me?” Yugi looked up at them. He was used to being crammed in his locker but this was different.

“Jou said you'd changed,” the hefty one spoke again. Yugi tried to recall his name but a fist connected to his jaw before the name came to his tongue. “We wanted to see for ourselves.”

“Looks like you're still just a pansy,” the tall one who'd carried him laughed and dead-kneed him before laying in a kick to his side. 

They began to laugh and mock him, and Yugi remembered when the darkness had overtook him and nearly started a fight with Jou. That darkness that Atem had absorbed. Despite all of the consequences, Yugi found himself wishing for Atem’s dark powers to return to him to get him out of this predicament.

Another kick laid into him and Yugi felt his head throb with pain. He was sure he'd started to bleed.

\--

Atem’s ears perked up inside his Egyptian palace. His body was filling with the pain that his human was experiencing. “I must go to him,” he stood before looking down at himself. His large claws dug into the ground anxiously as he remembered that he would not likely be able to use his powers to help the boy. 

He had to try anyway. The spirit went to his boy. He was grateful at least that they were outside. Yugi was laid on the ground, bruising and bleeding as the group continued to torment him. Atem saw that from his backpack Yugi's puzzlebox had fallen and was only inches from one of the bullies.

“Maybe,” he thought, “with a little luck this will work.” Atem reached out and placed one large claw delicately on the box. “If I can accidentally leave a piece of myself in Yugi, maybe I can purposely leave a piece of myself in this box.” He channeled his magic to the box and watched as it started turning black. When the box began absorbing the darkness Atem was casting off into it, his own body began to change.  

He grew smaller and smaller, long claws retracted, extended limbs shrunk to normal size, his horns returned to his skull, his ears shrank. Atem’s scaly hide faded away, replaced by caramel skin. The whites of his eyes returned and his headdress and pectoral shrank to fit him once again. 

His whole hand was now resting atop the box. He removed it and watched the blackened box return to its normal coloring before looking up to the boys that were still beating up his friend. Yugi’s pain echoed through him, and Atem could feel anger pulsing through his body. He barely  contained himself, but He knew he would soon have his revenge.

He stood and leaned in close to the boy closest to him. A young man with disheveled clothes and long blond locks. The spirit whispered into his ear, using his best hypnotic tone, “Open the box.”

The boy looked around, thinking it was one of his friends who'd made the suggestion. He looked just behind him to see Yugi’s hand outstretched only inches from the box. 

“What's in here?” he grabbed the box and picked it up. He tried to open it but couldn't figure it out. “Hey boss, I bet he's hiding something important in this box!”

The hefty one grinned and took it from the other’s hands with a rough grab. “You idiot, of course he is. This is a locking puzzle box! My old man makes these!” His grin grew wider. “Sit him up. I want to make sure he's awake to watch us open his secret box!”

Two boys flanked Yugi and pulled him up to sit against the pole. They propped his head up and yelled at him to stay awake. His vision blurred and his head rolled of to the side again. One of the bullies grabbed his chin and forced his head up. He struggled to focus, consciousness leaving him, but he was able to make out the box in the boy’s hands. He knew the box, but he couldn’t remember it’s significance. He watched through unfocused eyes as the boy lifted the lid off.

“I bet you've got something embarrassing in here,” the hefty one laughed, unlocking the box easily. He let out a hearty chuckle and spared Yugi a glance before lifting the lid off the container . 

A howl erupted into the sky , an airy, windy sound. “What the-” the boy gasped before streams of shadows erupted from the box and surrounded him.

“Boss!” the other boys ran up to him, glancing between the mass of shadows and the half-conscious boy on the ground. The shadows rose and moved swiftly towards Yugi. They gathered before the boy, taking a shape of some type of animal. Yugi caught a glimpse of blood red eyes and heard a nasty snarl before the shadowy beast lunged. 

“Yugi,” the sound of smooth chocolate hit his ears and he found himself hungry for more of that voice. “Stay with me Yugi.” A cold wind filled his lungs making him gasp harshly as he sat straight. The air hurt his lungs, but he was awake now. “Don't pass out,” Atem’s voice was soft silk, wrapping the boy up in a feeling of safety. 

“Atem, Yugi whispered and saw the man manifest before him, a worried smile on his features. “You’re back.”

“Shh,” the spirit soothed . “Can you walk?”

Yugi leaned forward and tried to get himself up but when he tried, pain laced through every fibre of his being. Atem bit his lip. “You have to get to the infirmary.” He began to think frantically about his options.  He could of course, possess Yugi again but that could end badly all over again. “That’s it,” he perked up with an idea. “Do you trust me?”

Yugi smiled weakly and could only mutter out,“of course.” His head rolled off to the side. His eyes focused in on what was happening to the boys that were beating him up. They were curled in on themselves, crying as if in excruciating pain, and before them stood a very defensive, aggressive shadow beast. “Atem what's that?” 

“I'll tell you when you'll be able to remember.” The spirit grabbed the boy’s head, pressed his lips to the other's, and a familiar magic wrapped itself around Yugi's mind. His head was heavy and clouded, filled with a thick white fog that took away his pain. “You must hurry to the infirmary,” Atem gathered the boy's things. He sealed the spirit back into the box and placed it in Yugi's pack once again. Yugi took his bag and limped away. “Do not try to open that box again, understood?” Atem followed him to ensure he reached the infirmary safely.

“Yes. Nurse now, talk later.” Yugi was still in a bit of a trance but Atem was okay with that. At least in that state he could walk. The boy opened the door to the infirmary and the nurse came running. “I got beat up again,” he sighed and sat down on a cot. 


	18. Eighteen

“Yugi!” his mother came rushing into the hospital room, his grandpa followed in shortly. The school wasn’t able to treat Yugi’s injuries and instead had him transferred to a nearby hospital. He was laid in a cot, bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and an IV in his arm. Atem had been sitting in a bedside chair moments prior, but he faded away as soon as his mom arrived. 

Yugi was still entranced, the thick fog clouded his mind and kept him from feeling pain. His eyes turned in the direction he heard his name, a soft smile gracing his lips, “Mom, Grandpa. You’ve come.”

“Yugi,” his mom gasped in horror when she saw her precious boy wrapped in bandages. “What happened to you?”

The boy let out a soft sigh, breathing shallow as the doctors had instructed, “I got beat up, that’s all.”

“Beat up?” His mother clenched her little fists at her sides, “have you been getting bullied at school?”

The teenager shrugged, “just a little. I’m okay now. Everything is all better.”

His mother began to ramble on about how not-okay all of this was, and started shooting him questions about who had done this, when it had happened, and who their parents were. She was not going to stand for this. Yugi could only smile, his brain still clouded. “Does he have a concussion?” she turned to a nurse, “he doesn’t usually talk like that, or space out like this.”

“It’s probable that he has a mild concussion. He hit his head pretty hard,” the nurse nodded before stepping out and leaving the family alone. 

“Yugi what happened?” his grandpa took a seat at the end of his bed. “Why didn’t you tell us you were being bullied?”

Yugi cocked his head to the side, his bandages moving with him, “I’m okay grandpa.”

“You are most certainly not okay,” his mother was seething, but Yugi didn’t react. He continued to smile blankly at his grandpa. 

“Are you feeling okay son?” he asked.

Yugi nodded, “I don’t feel any pain right now. I feel fine.” Atem knew his magic would be wearing off soon, and he was sure Yugi would be singing a different tune when that time came. 

“They must have you on some good painkillers,” grandpa chuckled. Yugi nodded in agreement, “the best.”

Yugi’s mom went to find a nurse that could tell her what medications they had put her son on. Once she was out of the room, Yugi's grandpa gave him a stern look, “how long has this been going on Yugi?”

The boy cocked his head to the side, “a while I guess. But I've never got beat up like this before.”

“What started this?” his grandfather reached out and touched the boy's hand. It was ice cold but Yugi hadn't noticed. “Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?”

“They were making fun of me for hyperventilating,” Yugi mused absently. The fog was starting to clear in his head and the murmur of pain was starting to grow louder and louder. 

His grandpa shook his head, eyes falling to the young boy’s hand. “I'm sorry Yugi. I wish I knew what to say,” the old man sighed, defeated.

Yugi winced when he breathed, feeling the ache in his chest get worse and worse. Before he could open his mouth to vocalize his pain, a classmate cracked the door open.

“Yug’?” he muttered nervously, a small balloon in his hand with the words ‘get well’ printed on them. “I came as soon as I heard.”

“J-jou?” Yugi barely choked out his words. “What are you doing here?” The exclamation made the boy gasp and reach for his bandaged ribs. Atem’s magic had worn off and the pain was pumping through his body like poison, getting him so high he almost dazed out. 

Yugi's grandpa looked up at the teen, he was wearing the same school uniform as his grandson but he didn't recognize this boy. “Yugi, is this a friend of yours?”

Jou inched into the room slowly, nervously, but the young boy on the cot smiled. “Yes. Could you leave us alone for a bit grandpa?” 

The old man continued to eye the scruffy blond as he got up from the bed. “I should probably go find your mother anyway. We'll be back shortly,” he waved as he parted.

Jou stepped forward cautiously and took the seat next to Yugi, eyeing his wounds with horror, “I'm so sorry, Yug’, This’s all ma fault.” 

Yugi's eyes widened. He wasn't sure if Jou was really there or a drug induced hallucination, but if his grandpa had seen him then it must be real. “I don't think you can take responsibility this time Jou,” he chortled sarcastically.

“I coulda helped ya out Yug’. Evened the odds, y’know?” Jou glanced down at his hands and started twiddling his thumbs. Jou sounded defeated, his tone riddled with guilt as he internally reprimanded himself. He knew it was his own friends that had done this, and he knew there was nothing he could do to make it better. 

Unbeknownst to Jou, Atem took a seat at the edge of the bed. Yugi felt the bed shift, his eyes examining the indentation as Atem moved uneasily. He watched the blanket ball up in such a way that he was sure Atem was clenching his fist in the sheets.

“How did I even get away?” Yugi broke the silence, still staring at the sheets knotting at the edge of his cot. “I remember,” he paused, recalling his spirit giving him the strength to move, “getting up and going to the infirmary. But how did I get away?”

Jou looked up at his classmate, “Ya mean ya dunno?”

“Know what?” Yugi's attention turned back to the blond. 

“When tha teachers found ‘em, it was like they'd all lost it Yug’. All of ‘em was spoutin’ somethin ‘bout a monster,” Jou used his best animated hand motions to accentuate his story. Yugi however, missed them as he was preoccupied staring at the seat his Egyptian friend was occupying. 

“A monster?” Yugi mumbled softly, pondering Jou’s words. A flicker of memory filled his mind. He could barely see a black shadow beast, no larger than a dog that stood between him and the bullies, but Atem was there, in his human form. Then Atem was grabbing his puzzlebox and warning him not to open it. The boy gasped, pain laced through him once again. His hand flew up to cover his ribs as his breath came in shallow pants. 

A small gust of icy cold wind filled his lungs and Yugi smiled, grateful for the assistance. 

“Er’ything okay there Yug’?” Jou leaned forward, ready to help.

The boy snapped back to reality, smiling nervously, “Yes, sorry. It's a little hard to breathe.”

“‘ey, I feel ya. I've had ma share of poundings,” Jou mused quietly. He looked back down at his hands. The room felt like it was getting colder with each passing minute. An icy wind brushed Jou’s back and he sat up straight. “Did’ya feel that Yug’?” 

Yugi's eyes moved from his lap to look at Jou. “Feel what?” 

“It got really cold for a minute,” Jou shook it off, “I musta imagined it…”

Without a moment of hesitation, Yugi's eyes glanced to the foot of his bed only to see that the indent was gone. He knew Atem was surely responsible, so he flicked his gaze back up at Jou only to see Atem flickering into existence behind him. The ancient spirit was leaned against the windowsill, glaring at the teen before him. “Maybe you just got a chill,” Yugi suggested. Jou only shrugged, his uneasy feeling getting worse with each passing second.

After a moment of silence, Jou stood and started to head for the door. When the boy moved, Atem vanished into the air again. “Y’know Yug’ I meant it bout tryin ta help ya man up. It's hard out there.” The boy stopped at the door and turned around, shooting the boy a smile, “I know ya can look out fer yaself, but if ya need help. Lemme know.” 

Before Yugi could reply, the door closed and he was left alone with his spirit. He hadn't realized it before but his heart was pounding, and his breaths were short and shallow. The fire in his chest was growing wilder and wilder. Yugi needed this time to relax and refocus. He forced a deep breath through his aching body and he calmed down, “Atem.”

The spirit materialized once again, still planted firmly in front of the window. “Yugi,” the spirit breathed, “you should be resting instead of speaking with guests.”

Yugi shook his head and turned to face his spirit, “will you tell me what happened back there? How were you able to change back to human form? Did you overcome the darkness you’d absorbed from me?” Yugi’s words were starting to come out soft and airy as his lungs struggled to keep up with the effort of his speech. After his last question, the boy fell quiet and focused on breathing deeply while waiting for his answer.

“Yugi,” Atem kept his eyes focused on the boy. He felt Yugi’s pain throb in his chest. “Are you sure you’re up for the discussion right now?” The ancient spirit moved away from the window and making his way back to the foot of Yugi’s cot. “You’re tired and hurt. It’s all my fault. You wouldn’t have ever passed out if I hadn’t scared you so bad, and then they wouldn’t have beat you up.”

Yugi raised his hand to cover his face as he let out an exhausted sigh. “Atem,” he sighed, “I don’t blame you for any of this. I’m the one that had the panic attack. I’m very grateful that you saved me, but I want to know how.” 

Atem shifted his weight in the bed, crossing his legs in the other direction. “That box your grandpa gave you for your birthday,” he shifted his gaze to the boy’s backpack in the corner of the room, “I had an idea. If I was able to accidentally leave a piece of darkness in you, I should be able to purposefully leave a piece of darkness in something else. It was a risky idea but it appears to have paid off.” 

Yugi’s eyes widened, his eyes glancing over to his bookbag. “Does that mean that if I open that box again that the darkness will attack?”

“I believe that since this portion of the darkness was cast off purposefully, that it may obey my will,” Atem mused. Although he was confident in his plan, he didn’t yet have proof. “We will test it later, once you’re home.”

“You have no idea if it will listen to you, do you?” Yugi’s face flatlined. “If you unleash that thing, and it could do to me what it did to those boys, couldn’t it?”

Atem stayed silent, refusing to answer. Yugi chuckled bitterly, and shook his head. “I won’t let anything hurt you. Also, if you recall, when it unleashed last time it went after only those that hurt you. It never once tried to attack you.”

“But you were also there,” Yugi cocked his head to the side. 

“How many times do I have to remind you that you’re stuck with me?” Atem risked a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, it only merited a short sigh from the teen. Yugi leaned back and closed his eyes as he grew weak. “Yugi, are you feeling unwell again?” 

“It takes a lot of energy for me to do anything right now,” he sighed. “Can’t you use your magic again so I don’t feel pain?” He winced once again, taking a deep and calming breath. 

The spirit chuckled lightly and shook his head. “I shouldn’t. I fear it could stop you from healing correctly. For now, rest. I will see to it that you are safe until you return home.” A short smile graced Yugi’s lips, grateful to know that he was safe and sound. Atem watched as his human attempted to relax. To assist, Atem assumed his best relaxing and hypnotic voice before telling the boy a tall tale about his ancient home. Yugi’s eyes grew heavier, and his breathing became more steady.  

The door cracked open, leaving Atem only milliseconds to completely vanish from sight. “Yugi,” his mom snuck in quietly. “Oh, he’s sleeping,” she muttered and came to the bedside. She creeped in the room and reached out to tap Yugi’s shoulder before withdrawing her hand at the last moment. She decided to let him sleep, and returned to the hall to speak with the nurse. “I understand that the visiting hours are ending, but I can stay with my son tonight, right?”

“Certainly, there should be an extra pillow in the closet in the room, and I’ll go grab a couple of extra blankets for you,”  she smiled. 

“Thank you. Will my son be able to come home tomorrow?” she asked nervously. 

The nurse could tell how nervous the teen’s mother was and gave her a comforting smile. “We will have to wait until the doctor comes to check him out in the morning.” This wasn’t the answer that she wanted, but she had been expecting that answer. She smiled gently and returned to the room. 


	19. Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to all for the (extremely) long delay. Due to personal issues, I've been extremely busy and haven't had time to write. I did however, find it in myself to finish this chapter.

After a long week in the hospital, Yugi was finally cleared to go home. He didn’t see much of his spirit during this time, given that his mother was always by his side. She looked tired and worn, and he had tried endless times to get her to go home and rest but she refused. 

Once home, Yugi was reminded that he needed to take it easy and not put any more strain on his damaged rib cage so that it would be able to heal properly. After a conceding sigh, the boy went up to his room and pulled out the locking puzzle box that held the darkness that Atem had cast off.

“Were you going to open it without me here?” Atem materialized in the teen’s desk chair. The sudden break in silence caused the boy to jump out of his skin, but Atem was pleased to see that he didn’t start hyperventilating. “You didn’t panic that time,” the ancient being beamed, “I am so proud.”

Yugi rolled his eyes, emitting only a soft huff to pass his lips since speaking was still painful. He rolled the box around in his hands, examining it, looking for any differences in it now that it was cursed. 

“It still hurts to speak, doesn’t it?” Atem cocked his head to the side waiting for a nod. Yugi’s head moved slowly in response, causing the spirit to sigh. “Well, it looks like you’ll have to be awfully quiet for a while, partner.” Another sigh of defeat passed Yugi’s lips, but he moved gently, raising the puzzle box up and toward his spirit. A silent request flickered in his violet orbs and the spirit nodded. “If anything comes to attack you, you know that I will protect you.” Atem was always so calm, peaceful and reassuring that Yugi contemplated how he didn’t annoy the ancient spirit. Slowly, the teen moved the box back down into his lap and began shifting the tiles on its faces. As each tile slid into place, the pounding of Yugi’s heart grew louder and louder.

The final click sounded as the last piece fell into place. Yugi turned his gaze to the spirit sitting patiently at his desk, waiting for affirmation. Atem nodded to him, eyes affixed to the small box in the boy’s hands. Slowly, Yugi removed the lid and a flurry of black smoke and shadows burst forth from the box. The shadows swirled around the room, bouncing from wall to wall, surrounding them in a shroud of darkness. 

“What’s…” Yugi breathed, a cough following from the pain in his chest. The shadows lunged at the sound, spinning and swirling around Yugi’s body. “Atem..” he cried softly.

Atem stood, not quite sure of what to do since the shadows had not taken a form and decided to at least put himself closer to the young teen. Yugi felt the bed shift as Atem sat beside him. The shadows simply moved to spin around them both for several more moments before bouncing off and taking shape on the middle of Yugi’s floor. 

Both Yugi and Atem watched in silence as blood red eyes came into view and white fangs glimmered against the consuming darkness that made up the beast’s skin. Its shape slowly grew more defined as the shadows condensed. Once it was all said and done, Yugi’s eyes widened then narrowed as he turned to look at his Egyptian spirit. Glaring, he mouthed, “are you serious?”

Atem smirked, holding back a chuckle, “I didn’t purposefully make it do that, partner. At least,” he grinned, “it is not frightening.”

Yugi rolled his eyes and looked back to the shadow animal that was sitting on his floor. It’s ears stood straight up, a long, thin tail whipped across the floor. With a yawn and whine it showed off all of its glistening white fangs and a black tongue before leaning back and raising one of his hind legs to scratch behind its ears.

Yugi stared bewildered at the beast and whispered, “a dog…”

With a nod, Atem turned his attention to the teen by his side, “shouldn’t you be happy that it didn’t try to attack you like you thought it would?” 

The boy nodded softly, “name?” The short question brought forth a fit of coughing from the teen that startled this new beast and made it jump on the bed. A soft whine emitted from it’s throat as it nudged its head against Yugi’s shoulder as if urging him to lie down. Yugi listened, but spared Atem a sideways glance. 

Atem smiled once his charge was laid back down and went to pat the dog’s head. He had expected his hand to simply pass through it as he did so often when he tried to touch things in the real world, but the dog leaned into the touch as if begging for more. “Yugi,” he looked down at the boy, “did you feel it when he touched you?” 

A nod. 

Atem’s brows furrowed in confusion. How could this shadow beast be capable of touching both the living, and the dead? As the spirit thought about it, the shadow beast curled up in a ball at Yugi’s side and rest it’s head against the boy’s arm. 

Seeing the intense look on his spirit’s face, Yugi opened his mouth to speak. However, he knew he should rest and if he got excited about this spirit beast, he would certainly not rest. So, with a soft sigh, the boy closed his eyes and pulled the strange dog-like creature closer. It emitted a soft groan before nuzzling in closer to the teen’s body. It took only a few moments before sleep welcomed him with open arms. 

Lost in his own thoughts, Atem didn’t notice that Yugi had fallen asleep until he felt the bed shift. His attention directed back down and the shadowed dog like beast was rolling onto its back, showing it’s stomach to the sky. The animal reminded him of the dogs they had at the palace. Long, pointy ears dwarfed its slim and narrow face. Despite the cute and harmless look the beast had taken for the moment, Atem couldn’t help but worry that the darkness that he had cast out into it would turn on his charge just as it had caused him to do in the meadow. 

“How can I protect you if that happens,” Atem mumbled, watching the boy sleep. So long ago, Yugi’s heart had called out for help. A call that Atem answered almost too readily. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, watching this teen sleep, he thought of all the ways Yugi would have been better off without him. He thought of the pain and agony he had brought the boy. He thought about what a kind-hearted angel Yugi was to forgive him after all they had been through.

Despite all of his own self-doubt, Yugi saw his sixteenth birthday. Yugi smiled now, he laughed, and most importantly: he was no longer alone. Atem stood slowly from the bed and crossed to the far side of the room where Yugi’s full length mirror was. He raised up his tunic, eyes falling on the residual scars from where the shadow beast had tried to rip out his heart. “A small price to pay, I suppose,” he chuckled bitterly. As far as he was concerned, he deserved those scars, and would have gladly given his heart if it would have kept his light alive. 

A sound outside the door caught his attention and Atem glanced over at the resting human before deciding it was worth investigating. Yugi’s family was usually very quiet, so Atem reasoned that something was happening downstairs. Without a second thought, the spirit made his way to the source of the noise.

“Aren’t you the least bit concerned?” Yugi’s mother was frustrated, small fists clenched at her sides in frustration.

“He doesn’t want to talk to us, there’s nothing we can do,” his grandpa sat on the couch, playing a game with some type of tiles that Atem was unfamiliar with. “He’s too prideful. Just like his father.”

“What am I supposed to do? We’ve been to the hospital more times lately than I care to count. The school nurse said he’s been getting picked on and bullied. He never says anything,” she groaned in frustration and started organizing the items in the room out of anxiety and stress. “He’s been coming home and locking himself in his room every day for as long as I can recall. If he’s been hiding the fact that he’s been bullied, then how do we know he’s not hiding something else?”

“We don’t,” the man stated calmly, moving a tile to another spot. “You raised a good boy, but sitting him down and forcing him to talk about it will likely have the opposite effect.”

“But I’m worried about him. Why don’t you understand that?” She blinked, pushing back tears.

Atem leaned himself up against a wall, watching and waiting patiently as he absorbed the conversation.

“I do,” grandpa spoke softly, “but what can you do aside from support him? You can’t go up there and accuse him of hiding things from you. Have faith in him.”

His mother sighed and continued to anxiously rearrange items that she had just moved as if trying to force something different to happen.

“ _ Insanity…”  _ Atem pondered, “ _ is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results… _ ” 


	20. Twenty

Autumn winds blew through the changing leaves whisking some up and away, to be carried by the breeze until they flew too close and touched the sun. The grass had turned to sand, drying out as the seasons changed. Beneath the last few lush green leaves hanging from the oldest tree in town, a consuming darkness was barely visible between the protruding roots. Small, pointed ears perked up at the sound of a faint rustle. With a sharp turn of its head, crimson eyes narrowed and met Yugi’s. 

The young teen stared out the window at the shadow beast in disbelief momentarily, before quietly rummaging through his backpack in an attempt to find the puzzle box without disrupting class. His fingers met smooth, polished wood so he tightened his grip and tugged it from his pack only to see that the lid was missing. A short gasp passed his throat before he returned his gaze to the tree. This time, there was no shadow to be found, no consuming darkness with cute pointed ears and blood red eyes. Yugi took a deep breath and sighed as he returned the box to his backpack before returning to his attention to class. When he looked down to scribble in some notes, he noticed some writing that was not there moments before. 

_ Have you decided on a name for him? -A _

A quick roll of his eyes and Yugi notated the lecture instead.

_ I’m going to call him Sparkles until you decide on a name. Just so you know. -A _

Yugi shook his head and continued to scribble in his notebook. When the bell finally rang, Yugi shoved his books into his bag before strolling out of class. His eyes were down, watching as each foot shuffled gently in front of the other. 

“‘ey Yug’!” a holler came from down the hall, and with a soft smile, Yugi perked his head up and turned to look in the direction of the voice. “How ya feelin’ man? It’s bin weeks, bet dem ribs are doin’ ya betta now, huh?” The blond pushed the hair from his face as he came to walk beside the shorter teen. He looked down at the boy and chuckled inwardly when he noticed gold bangs were clipped back by a snap pin. “ain’t ya askin’ ta be picked on, wearin’ this,” he reached out and flicked it, “thing?”

Yugi’s hand reached up to grab his hair pin, “Hey, leave that alone,” he grumbled. “Besides,” he paused to push open the door to the courtyard, “ever since that day, they’ve been terrified of me.” The young teen’s eyes fell on the group of bullies picking on a younger student. 

“Speakin’ of,” Jou’s voice lowered and took on a somber tone, “when’re’ya gonna tell me what actually happen’d tha’ day? It's bin almost two months...”

A nervous laugh passed the boy’s lips, “perhaps, when I know what happened?” 

Jou shook his head, “boy Yug’, you got a spotty mem’ry.” Once they reached the end of the courtyard, Jou stopped in his tracks as his eyes fell on a small black animal that seemed to consume all the light around it. “Whoa Yug’,who’d thought tha’ foxes’ld be in tha city!”

Violet orbs dilated as Yugi whipped his head to look at the “fox” that Jou had mentioned. Its endless crimson eyes were pointed directly at Jou, teeth starting to bare with every moment they stood near each other. “That is odd,” Yugi coughed, choking down his nerves. “Well, Jou, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He turned pointedly and took a step towards home, but when a soft pitter patter of feet met his ears, Yugi knew he wasn’t alone. He sighed and rolled his eyes before looking down to see the shadow beast prancing at his side. Its ears were perked and pointed, tail swaying lightly in the air behind it as it followed Yugi dutifully down the road.

“Is Jou still watching?” Yugi mumbled and glanced down, watching as the beast cocked its head around all the way before snapping it back. A soft snarl met his ears and Yugi knew he would likely have to come up with some kind of explanation for Jou. 

“Jou seems to be getting too close, don’t you think partner?” Atem’s voice was a mere whisper in his ear. “What if he starts asking questions? It’s not like he would believe I exist,” the spirit’s voice trailed off.

“You’re right,” the boy sighed, “he’d likely try to have me committed.”

An affirmative hum met the human’s ears as he continued to walk. Yugi was grateful that he was no longer being beat up by the boy, but he  wondered just how long it would take for Jou to catch on that something else was going on. Yugi thought bitterly about how, just months ago, he didn't have to concern himself with the idea of his secret getting out. No one took an interest in him until just recently.  

The ancient spirit could feel the sorrow swelling inside the boy’s chest, coupled with bitterness and confusion, and decided to change the subject. “What did you think of the name I had for the dog?”

That did the trick. Yugi snapped out of it and shook his head, chuckling softly, “ridiculous.” They trotted down the street, making their way home.

-

Jou stood there, awestruck, at the school courtyard gates as he watched the black fox appear at Yugi’s side. The boy, who Jou knew was terrified of just about anything, allowed it to trot at his side like a pet. “Yug’,” he mumbled and at that moment, the animal’s head spun around and locked gazes with him. Jou’s breath hitched, holding and waiting to release until the animal’s attention returned to Yugi. 

_ “It was a monster! Pitch black body, and blood red eyes,” the bulky teen stammered, hands gripping his head, “those eyes….” _

Jou remained there, frozen, the description playing on a permanent loop in his mind. 

“Oh shit,” a bulky teen stammered, his voice piercing the memory that was playing in Jou’s mind. With a blink, he snapped back to reality. “It’s that  _ thing _ ,” the teen bully stammered. 

Jou’s full attention turned to him, “wait, is tha’ tha monster you bin talkin’ ‘bout?” He flickered his attention back to Yugi to watch as he rounded a corner, the black beast pausing long enough to glance his way before trotting off after the boy. 

“That’s it alright.” The rest of the group had arrived and had all turned their attention to Jou. “You don’t seriously plan on being friends with that witch, do you?” A soft murmur of agreement came from the other boys. 

“C’mon guys, witches ain’t real,” Jou snorted and laughed wholeheartedly, only to be scowled at by his previous crowd. 

“Well then what do you call it?” Another, lanky boy with disheveled clothes spoke up. “I should have never opened that damn box. But I know one of you,” he paused, pointing a finger at everyone in the group, “told me to open that damn thing!”

“You’re losing it Drake, no one told you to even touch that box!” 

The lanky boy’s blond hair fell in front of his eyes when he shook his head, “No, it was definitely one of you. Unless you think that witch did it?” 

“I bet he did,” the leader spoke up. “If we hadn’t opened it, he wouldn’t have gotten away!” 

“No one even believes that it was real. As though it was some type of hallucination. I know that thing took a chunk out of my arm,” one of the boys, short and stout, rolled up his sleeve and held it out. “You can’t see the scar, can you?” 

Jou shook his head as his eyes fell upon an unscathed arm. 

“Yeah but that’s not nearly as bad as what it did to me!” another, young brunette, raised his school uniform to expose his stomach. Once again, Jou saw no scars or scratches. 

“Man, look at that! A perfect bite mark,” the scrawny blond reached out, tracing a circle on the boy’s flesh. “Jou, you can’t see it, can you?”

“‘fraid not,” he chuckled nervously, raising his hand to rub the back of his neck. “Both of ya look fine ta me.” He knew without a doubt that the group of bullies could all see it though. Jou contemplated the possibility of them having a shared delusion, but it seemed unlikely. 

“I’m telling you, stay away from that witch,” the leader turned his attention back to Jou, “you could be who he goes after next, y’know. You bullied him for how long?”

Jou could only nod in understanding before he took his leave. If he was lucky, he could follow Yugi to find out what secrets the boy was hiding. “For sure, witches ain’t real,” Jou mentally rolled his eyes, “I’ll just find out what yer up to, Yug’.” Jou took off in the direction he saw Yugi go. The teen sprinted along the sidewalk in such a rush that he didn’t notice when a young girl and her friends walked into his path and he collided with them, sending one of them to the ground with a thud. “Watch where yer walkin’!” he yelled instinctively. 

“You’re the one running,” Anzu hissed, standing back up and straightening out her skirt. “What’s the rush Jou?”

Jou’s ears recognized the sound of Anzu’s voice before his mind did. He paused, gears working overtime in his mind, “Anzu! Wonderful! I’m tryin’ ta catch up ta Yug’; he left ‘is homework in class n I wanted ta.. return it ta him.”

A blatant lie. 

Anzu’s gaze narrowed, “nope. I am not taking you to Yugi’s house so you can beat him into tomorrow. That’s the last safe place that kid has. Why don’t you leave him be?”

Jou’s brows furrowed, but he knew that Anzu was right to disregard him. “I haven’t even touched Yug’ in months; long before my ol’ crew attacked him. Promise!”

Another glare. 

“Well dammit Anzu, if you’re not gonna help, jus say so,” he groaned and took off running again. How would he catch up to Yugi now?

“WAIT,” she called, causing Jou to stop in his tracks. Anzu waved goodbye to her friends before speaking up again. “I’ll walk you,” she approached slowly, back straight with confidence, and a touch of intimidation. “If you make me regret this, I’ll end you.”

A roll of the eyes was the only response she got from Jou as he followed her down the street. 


End file.
